Nearly all NBA players have all sorts of superstitious pre-game rituals. This is the same case for Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, although the 24-year-old has a bit of a more sentimental reason behind his.
The Celtics All-Star opened up about his own pre-game habits ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. One thing that Tatum does before each game is he tugs both of his ears. Apparently, this is a nod to his loving grandmother:
“I always pray before the competition starts,” Tatum said, via NBA on Twitter. “I’ve been doing that for every game ever since I was a young kid. Extremely blessed to be in this situation. And then I always tug my ears because that’s something that me and my grandma have always done, so I kinda just acknowledge her. She was at the game the other day, so I always tug my ear. That’s just always been our little thing ever since I was in elementary middle school.”
Why does Jayson Tatum tug his ears before each game?
Listen as he explains his full pregame routine!Game 4 (BOS 2-1): 9:00pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/8phodHaMVX
— NBA (@NBA) June 10, 2022
Tatums is very close to his grandmother and it is clear that the Celtics stud holds her dear in his heart. Hopefully, grandma will bring a bit of luck for Tatum and Co. on Friday night as they hope to build a 3-1 series lead against the mighty Warriors.