The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks were coming down for a classic finish. Down by as many as 14, the Knicks were once again able to mount a furious rally, leading by seven with a little over three minutes left in the game. With the firepower the Celtics had, it was impossible to guarantee a result at the time.
However, that’s when tragedy struck the men in green. A loose pass from Jaylen Brown saw Jayson Tatum lunge for the ball, but his right leg appeared to give out under him as he immediately fell to the floor writhing in excruciating pain. A disturbing scene on the hardwood drew prayers from the entire NBA fandom, including NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes Sends Well Wishes to Jayson Tatum
Mahomes is the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs and one of the all-time greats already. During his relatively short career, he’s stacked up one of the most impressive resumes of all time. With two MVPs and three Super Bowls, he is already regarded by many as a potential successor to Tom Brady as the NFL’s GOAT.
A three-sport athlete growing up, Mahomes also has a deep passion for basketball and is a regular at Dallas Mavericks home games. In fact, he’s quick to send out his thoughts about the happenings around the league, including the Mavs winning the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.
However, seeing the image of Tatum on the floor, Mahomes’ message was anything but celebratory. “Prayers up man…..” he wrote alongside the folded hands emoji. It was a heartfelt moment, especially in the middle of a bounce-back game.
Prayers up man….. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) May 13, 2025
After an egregiously bad first two games of the series, where he had the worst shooting percentage of his career over a two-game stretch, the four-time All-NBA star found himself down 0-2 in a series where Boston was the heavy favorite.
A Game 3 victory saw his numbers improve before he put on a show at Madison Square Garden. Before his injury, Tatum was already up to 42 points and eight rebounds as he tried to tie the series at two games apiece.
However, his injury snuffed out any chance of the Celtics coming back into the game. Eventually, they fell 121-113 with New York taking a commanding 3-1 lead.
With his status unsure for Game 5 itself, let alone the rest of the series and playoffs, the hopes of the C’s repeating might go up in smoke.
