Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum discussed the joys of being an author, his long recovery from injury, and, yes, the Jaylen Brown trade in front of a packed audience at Newton Community Stage on Tuesday evening.

The event, co-hosted by The Silver Unicorn Bookstore and Newtonville Books, was ostensibly to celebrate the release of Tatum’s second children’s book: “Baby Dunks-a-Lot: The Day the Basketballs Stopped Bouncing.” But in a wide-ranging conversation with noted sports journalist Howard Bryant, Tatum gave members of the public a window into his life beyond the headlines.

Tatum said that he writes children’s books because he enjoys those quiet moments reading with his own two children. He discussed the challenges of enforcing a reasonable bedtime during Celtics’ game days. (Turns out it is hard if you are playing and your child is a spectator.) And when he announced that Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series was one of his favorite books to read when he was growing up in St. Louis, many young readers in the audience shouted their approval.

Tatum also spoke at length about the challenges he faced while recovering from the Achilles injury that ended his 2024-25 season.

During those first few weeks after the injury, “playing basketball seemed so unattainable and so far away,” said Tatum. “And that was really tough for me. I had been playing basketball since I was 3 or 4 years old, so suddenly I had that taken away from me. … It was tough, it was emotional, I cried many nights, I doubted myself, and I didn’t know if I was able to overcome rehab. I just felt like it was going to be too much.”

This is the second book release event that the Silver Unicorn Bookstore, located in Acton, has organized with the perennial All Star-turned-author. To Paul Swydan, the bookstore’s owner, this event is special because Tatum is only doing a couple of public events to promote his new book.

“It’s amazing that he is such a good role model for our community, and he’s actually taken the step of writing children’s books,” says Swydan, who is wearing a baseball-style Celtics jersey bearing the number 0. “The fact that we, in partnership with Newtonville Books and the City of Newton, get to host this event means the world to us.”

For the young fans in the crowd—many of whom were also wearing Jayson Tatum jerseys—this event was an opportunity to see their favorite player up close. Jameson Berg came all the way from Harvard to see his hero. “I like how he plays, because I think three pointers are a newer part of the game,” he said. Berg is a basketball player himself and believes his play style is similar to the man up on the stage tonight. One thing they definitely have in common: like Tatum, Berg’s favorite graphic novel is “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”

Aidan Sianissian and Liam Shea, both first graders from Watertown, said that it was cool to see the superstar, but that “it was pretty boring to see him just talk.” (They both wished that Tatum would have read the book that he authored.) However, all members of the audience were given a signed copy of “Baby Dunks-a-Lot: The Day the Basketballs Stopped Bouncing,” and both Sianissian and Shea—avid non-fiction, readers—held their copies proudly.

Toward the end of the evening, Bryant asked Tatum about the recent trade that has sent Boston sports talk radio into overdrive.

“It’s weird,” said Tatum. “You play on a team with a guy for nine years, who I was fortunate enough to go to the finals with twice, to win a championship, and to push each other to be the players we are today. … You just kind of feel like you’re going to be on the team with somebody, because that’s all you know. And then it’s just like, one day, you find out that they are no longer on your team anymore.”

Bryant then tried to goad Tatum into talking about the fact that Brown had gone to Philadelphia, a heated rival. Tatum laughed but wouldn’t take the bait.

“It’s tough, but it just makes you appreciate the moments and times that we had,” he said. “Obviously it came to an abrupt ending but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t super successful, and some great years obviously that he gave to the city and to the organization.”

MORE IMAGES

Watertown first graders Liam Shea and Aidan Sianissian hold up their copies of Jayson Tatum’s new book, “Dunks-a-Lot: The Day the Basketballs Stopped Bouncing.” (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

A full house at Newton Community Stage listens to Jayson Tatum and Howard Bryant. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

A young fan raises his hand to ask a question during the event. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Jayson Tatum stands with Paul Swydan, owner of the Silver Unicorn Bookstore; Mary Cotton, owner of Newtonville Books; and famed sports journalist Howard Bryant ahead of a book release, at Newton Community Stage on July 7, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Jayson Tatum signs books ahead of an event co-hosted by the Silver Unicorn Bookstore and Newtonville Books at Newton Community Stage on July 7, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Famed sports journalist Howard Bryant asks Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics for his thoughts on the Jaylen Brown trade. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Celtics star and children’s author Jayson Tatum speaks with Howard Bryant at an event co-hosted by the Silver Unicorn Bookstore and Newtonville Books at Newton Community Stage on July 7, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Celtics star and children’s author Jayson Tatum speaks with Howard Bryant at an event co-hosted by the Silver Unicorn Bookstore and Newtonville Books at Newton Community Stage on July 7, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Celtics star and children’s author Jayson Tatum speaks about a wide range of issues, including parenting, his post-injury mindset, and his favorite books as a child. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon