Jayson Tatum: Am I a bus driver or a bus rider? | Forward Progress

About this episode

Jayson Tatum discusses his early training, self-doubt during the NBA season, and his mother's unique support strategies.

NBA star forward Jayson Tatum fondly remembers waking up early to hone his craft in an empty gym at 6:15AM as a high schooler - a routine that his mom Brandy says gave her the realization her son really would play in the NBA one day. Plus, Jayson candidly shares some of the self-doubt that crept in early into the 2021-2022 season, as the Boston Celtics started the season poorly. He goes on to share his mental process of internalizing any issues and his mom rejoins the conversation to explain why she’d intentionally piss her son off with strategic texts at halftime.

People in this episode

Host: Graham Bensinger

Guest: Jayson Tatum

Topics covered

• NBA
• self-doubt
• mental process
• training routine
• family support

Keywords

• Jayson Tatum
• NBA
• Boston Celtics
• self-doubt
• training
• Brandy Tatum
• mental process

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Boston Celtics

More episodes of In Depth With Graham Bensinger

• Jesse James: I had football offers from every D-1 school · June 12, 2026 · 5 min
• Charles Schwab: My ‘Ah-Ha’ moment | Forward Progress · June 11, 2026 · 8 min
• Tony Hawk: Landing the 900, Building a Skateboarding Empire, and the Cost of Chasing Perfection · June 8, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Jayson Tatum’s humble roots: Water cut off; house foreclosed | Trending Now · June 5, 2026 · 6 min
• Richard Branson: My childhood | Forward Progress · June 4, 2026 · 4 min
• Nico Rosberg: Rivalry, Sacrifice & Walking Away on Top · June 1, 2026 · 58 min