The Tatum family made up of Justin Tatum and Brandy Cole-Barnes, has always been there for their son Jayson, from high school to college to the NBA.

Jayson Tatum says that his parents, Justin Tatum and Brandy Cole-Barnes, gave him “tough love” that helped him get to where he is now in sports.

During Justin and Brandy’s time at Saint Louis University, their son Jayson was born on March 3, 1998. There were times when the future star of the Boston Celtics went to both of his parents’ schools as a child, even though Justin and Brandy never lived together and broke up. When he was younger, he would go to classes with his mother at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Also, when his dad played basketball at Saint Louis University, he would often be in the locker room with his dad.

According to Jayson, his mother Brandy is his “best friend,” and he called her that in November 2016. He went on to say, “I’m the biggest mama’s boy ever, and I’m proud to say it.”

One of the hardest things about the NBA star’s childhood was getting along with his father. Jayson’s mother raised him most of the time while his father moved back to the US from Europe when he was 8 years old to become a competitive basketball player in the Netherlands. Jayson never lived with his dad. Jayson thanks his father for helping him get further in his work, even though his father has been very critical and has tried to coach him.

Jayson told KSDK, “He saw the potential in me before I saw it in myself. Having him be that tough on me in basketball made me tougher on and off the court.”

The information below gives all the important facts about Jayson Tatum’s parents, Justin Tatum and Brandy Cole-Barnes.

Both of them were in college when Jayson was born.

A report from WCVB says that Brandy was going to the University of Tennessee on a full athletic scholarship when she finished from University City High. They did this because she played volleyball on the college team all four years of high school. Not only was she one of the five best students in her class, but she was also head of the senior class. ESPN says she found out she was going to have a baby with Jayson just a few weeks after graduating from high school. She picked to get her degree in political science and communications at a college in St. Louis instead of going to a school outside the city. She worked a few part-time jobs while she was in school to help pay for things like daycare and fees.When asked about her choice, she told the source, “It was really hard, but I felt like I had to do it for both of us.”Brandy kept up this practice all the way through her college years, even when she went to law school and business school. 

Brandy would bring Jayson to class with her when she was in college. In April 2016, Jayson wrote a piece for The Players’ Tribune in which he talked about the time he and his mother spent going to school together. “I remember sitting in the back of her classes, eating snacks, or getting lost in books or video games,” he said.”I didn’t say anything but listened in here and there—most of her professors seemed dull and talked a lot to me,” he said. “But I had to focus on my own things, and she did too.” It was just like any other day. That’s what happened in the end. My grandmother and I went to school together when my mom didn’t have enough money for a babysitter and my grandma was still working.Justin was a student at Saint Louis University and a member of their basketball team at the time in question. Jayson would be able to spend time with his dad in the locker room and on the court, where he would be able to hear the inspirational talks before the game. And during his growing years, his mother was the main person who took care of him.Justin was a big deal in the basketball world.

Being a star in the NBA is something Jayson did just like his dad did. Larry Hughes, a former NBA star, was Justin’s basketball teammate in high school at Christian Brothers College. Hughes will be the godfather of Justin’s kid. He then played basketball in college at Saint Louis University, where he also became a father and helped his basketball career grow.

After graduating from college, Justin played professional basketball in the Netherlands for three years. Brandy would go with Jayson to the Netherlands to see his father. There are 10 months a year that Justin is in the Netherlands and not with his boy. He told Ladue News that it was “tough.” During his free time while he was abroad, he helped coach youth teams. He brought this skill back to the U.S. with him as he changed careers and became a teacher instead of a player.

Once his professional career was over, he became an assistant basketball coach at Christian Brothers College, where he went to school, for the 2006–2007 season before taking a job at Soldan International Studies High School. In the end, Justin went back to his old school as head teacher, a job he has held for more than 10 years in a row, according to his website. For more than ten years, he has also put on school camps where kids can learn basketball and make new friends.

As Jayson grew bigger, his father became his trainer and coach to help him reach his goal of becoming a professional basketball player. The star player for the Celtics has said that neither his mother nor his father “took it easy” with him and that they were “extremely tough,” especially his father. In October 2022, Jayson told Graham Bensinger the truth about how his father’s teaching “put a strain” on their relationship.

He said, “I feel like I missed out on a father-son relationship.” “The only times my dad and I went out together were to get haircuts and play sports.” We didn’t visit any theme parks. Because it was all hoops, we didn’t go on picnics, fish, or have real father-son talks.

Jayson said that his dad would swear at him and make fun of him in front of his friends, even throwing the ball at him. “In his eyes, he wanted me to be the toughest,” he said. I had to be the best for him.

“That was his way…” “Like, if he made me mad, I’d play better, and in a way I did,” he said. “I’d be so mad.” It would make me so mad that I would play better.

Even though Jayson had a rough relationship with Justin as a child, he says that the tough love he got from Justin is what made him successful today. “I appreciate how hard he was on me because I wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t,” he said.

In the years since then, Jayson and his dad have become very close, and their relationship has been fixed.

Brandy has a lot of different degrees, including one in law that she got in 2010. She often had Jayson with her while she studied for law school. He would look through some of her books.

She told Bleacher Report that there was a time when he told her he didn’t want to read “this kind of book” and only wanted to play basketball. She would tell him, “Well, you better work really hard.”

Aside from Jayson, Justin has two other kids: a son named Jaycob and a girl named Kayden. Jaycob played football in high school at Christian Brothers College, the place where his father went to school. They won two state titles while he was on the team. His father’s webpage says that he now plays football at Western Illinois University.

The Boston Herald says that Brandy married Marcus “Jake” Barnes in 2016. Barnes used to work as a guide at the Reebok All-American Camp. To mark the event, Jayson posted several pictures from the wedding in the Bahamas on Instagram. He smiles for a picture with the bride and groom, who are both wearing all white. “She’s married now!” I’m happy for you, mom! “Love you both,” he wrote under the picture.

His mom is getting a kiss on the cheek in another picture. “Momma boy till the end!” he wrote under the cute picture. “I’m so glad for her.”

Brandy always told her son how important it was to keep up with schoolwork and get an education. When Brandy talked to Sentinel & Enterprise, she talked about how she balanced her son’s commitments to hoops and school.

Her son was lying, so she had to call him out on it. “I always tell him that we don’t do C’s,” she said. “It was at least a B because I knew what he could do.” He was always good, but he tried to trick me, so I didn’t let him go to a competition. It almost killed him. It was either fourth or fifth grade. He almost lost it, but after that, he knew I meant business.

Brandy only wants Jayson to finish his degree, even though he only went to Duke for one year before being chosen by the NBA.

“That’s important to me.” A lot of kids who went to Duke come back to finish them. I told him it wasn’t important how long it took. “He knows how hard I’ve worked,” Brandy told ESPN.

Brandy told Today that she knew Jayson would make it to the NBA by the time he was in the fourth grade.

“I knew he was unique because he did things and moved in ways that you could not teach,” she said. “It was like he was born with it.”

Brandy set limits for herself, though, to make sure she was still pushing him to do his best while also letting him be a kid.

“They must want it more than we do.” “That’s the most important thing,” she said. “And I believe there are times when we need to push them more.” So that was my line: “Listen, I’ll do everything I can to help you, but you have to do your part.”

Jayson “Deuce” Chris Tatum Jr. is Jayson’s son, and Jayson is very proud of him. A boy named Deuce was born to the NBA player and his ex-girlfriend Toriah Lachell on December 6, 2017. They were both 19 years old at the time. He had his first child just six months after being picked third overall in the NBA draft.

This morning, Brandy told Today that her grandson was a “blessing all the way around.” “Deuce puts everything in perspective for him,” she said. “To get to see Jayson in a different light, you know, in a different capacity, and see that something I never thought possible would bring him more joy than basketball.”

The best player for the Boston Celtics has also said that how he raised his own child is influenced by how he raised himself. In October 2022, he talked to Bensinger and said, “When I was growing up, even when I was a kid, I always saw my friends with their dads and how their relationship was bigger than basketball and sports and how they were closer.”

The next thing he said was, “I’ve always said I wanted to have a kid.” “I made up my mind that if I ever have a son, we’ll be best friends because in a way I wanted what I didn’t have.”

NBA stars like Jayson were picked for the 2023 All-Star Game, where he played on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s winning team. The NBA says he won the Kobe Bryant Trophy as the game’s Most Valuable Player after scoring a game-high 55 points.

At the momentous event, Justin was there, and he praised his son’s accomplishment on Instagram after the game. “Seeing your child live out their dream…” Is precious,” he wrote next to a picture of himself and Jayson holding the MVP award. “My boy @jaytatum0 is All-Star MVP. He scored 55 points, which is the most ever in an All-Star game. You’re a kid.” “I LOVE Chump, also known as Big Deuce‏.”