Jayson Tatum’s dad takes his successful coaching career to Australia’s NBL

As Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics took part in 2024 NBA championship ring ceremony and banner raising on Oct. 22, the head coach for the Illawarra Hawks took a cleared break from his team’s practice in Australia to watch from his cell phone.

Yes, Justin Tatum was on the other side of the world holding back joyful emotions, but it was important for him to watch his son and the Celtics — who play the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET) — celebrate in real time.

“I couldn’t miss that moment if my life depended on it,” Justin Tatum told Andscape. “My team and organization understood. I felt nothing but happiness and it was a sign of success that I was happy for my son and his teammates to have. It was a feeling I hope he gets a chance to experience over and over during his NBA career. I was just extremely happy for him.”

Justin Tatum is trying to win a championship as head coach of the Illawarra Hawks. He arrived at Illawarra after a run as one of the most decorated high school basketball coaches in Missouri with three state championships and 10 conference titles in 16 seasons at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis and Soldan High. His biggest challenge in high school basketball was coaching against his son — Justin Tatum went 1-9 against Jayson’s Chaminade High School.

After a successful stint as head coach of CBC, on Feb. 28, 2023, Justin Tatum left to become Illawarra’s North American Scout and Special Advisor to Basketball Operations. Illawarra Hawks majority owner Jared Novelly is a St. Louis native who also attended CBC and St. Louis University like Justin Tatum.

What was initially a front office position, however, turned into an assistant coach spot on the Hawks’ staff under head coach Jacob Jackomas.

“If I wanted to challenge myself, this was an opportunity to do it here,” Justin Tatum, 45, said. “I wanted to make sure it was OK with the head coach first. I didn’t want them to throw me on the staff and say, ‘Hey, you have to take this man.’ Me and the head coach talked it out and felt like it was a good opportunity for me to be here because I would be a mediator for the American players.”

The Hawks parted ways with Jackomas after a 2-7 start last season and replaced him with Tatum. Under Tatum, the Hawks finished the regular season with a 12-7 record to rise to fourth place in the NBL standings and earn a spot in the playoff play-in. Last season, the Hawks posted a top-4 offense (118.0 offensive rating) and top-2 defense (109.6 defensive rating). The Hawks advanced to the 2024 NBL playoff semifinals before falling in a three-game series to Melbourne United in late March.

“They let [Jackomas] go in the middle of November. I was the only person on our staff with head coaching experience and playing experience,” said Tatum, who played professionally in the Netherlands. “It was not that I was going to change everything, but I was going to give it a better look at that time…

“I learned the league on the fly. I did my homework when I got here. But when I got in the hot seat, I had two solid assistant coaches who had been coaching in the league for a while. I spent nights with them learning the refs’ names and the players of other teams and what they run. I had to learn the FIBA rules.” 

Said Jayson Tatum proudly: “They named him interim and he went on a crazy run, making the playoffs and what would be like our conference finals.”

Tatum also finished second in this NBL season’s Coach of the Year voting, falling just a few votes short of Melbourne United’s Dean Vickerman. Tatum was rewarded with a three-year contract from Illawarra before the playoffs started.

“He has earned the respect of his team, the coaching staff and the fans in a relatively short period of time, so I am looking forward to seeing what he is able to achieve in the long term,” Hawks general manager Mat Campbell in a statement on Tatum.

While far from the States, Justin Tatum is always watching his son and the Celtics.

The Hawks are located in Wollongong, a city of about 300,000 people located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, about 50 miles south of Sydney. From St. Louis, it’s a two-stop flight of around 21 to 28 hours to get to Sydney and before driving to Wollongong.

Celtics games typically come on in the 11 a.m. hour in Australia. On practice days, Justin Tatum will watch the first half at work and the second half at home. The timing allows him to see most of the Celtics games.

It’s a lot tougher, however, for Jayson Tatum to watch his father’s games due to the time difference.

“If we play at 2 p.m. on a Sunday, it would be like 11 or midnight on the East Coast where he is at. It’s rolling dice. But he always supports. If he wakes up and sees that we won he will re-tag or post that the Hawks won or dad had success. He will watch highlights, and he knows we’re doing well,” Justin Tatum said.

Once the Hawks’ season ended, Justin Tatum was able to see his son “get the monkey off his back” in person as the Celtics won a “well-deserved” NBA championship. Weeks after winning an NBA title, Jayson Tatum landed a five-year contract extension worth up to $315 million. Jayson Tatum, however, also played sparingly for USA Basketball when they won the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics and didn’t play in two contests.

Justin Tatum was in Paris for the Olympics and was confused by his son’s lack of playing time.

“I was OK with it if it made sense. If it made sense not to play him like a matchup,” Justin Tatum said. “But if you can’t find time for him or whatever [USA head coach] Steve Kerr said. That don’t make too much sense. [Jayson] had a long season and a long summer and I just wanted to make sure he was healthy. ‘I just wanted to make sure that at the end of the day you know you’re still one of the best players out there. So, whatever the coach’s decision was or if they felt that they didn’t need you, we’re not always right as coaches. Hopefully, you take that as a sign of motivation and not disrespect. You’re one of the top five players. Keep your head up.’

“He wasn’t good with not playing. But he wasn’t in the room pouting or throwing chairs around or it was a topic of conversation at dinner. He said he could’ve stayed with his family, stayed home or done this, which is true. But he was happy to be out there winning the gold and he never really played with LeBron [James], Steph [Curry] or KD [Kevin Durant]. Being around those guys was a great experience and the main thing we were talking about.”

Justin Tatum says he misses his three children, two grandchildren and just the simple things that family and home offer.

“I definitely miss barbeque and home-cooked meals,” Tatum said. “Besides my family, I miss actively doing something every day. After practice if the weather is good, I’ll play a little golf, a quick nine holes. The rest of the time, it’s down time. There is not too much to do. The food is great over here. I’m not really missing anything from home foodwise other than Pizza Hut.

“I’m in a good situation here going to the end of the winter to spring. And then I go home and it’s the end of spring going to summer. So, I have spring and summer all year. All I wear is shorts and a sweatshirt here and there. My family comes out here periodically. My daughter is coming in December. Jayson can’t come because he’s playing at the same time. But it’s a good life here.”

Said Jayson Tatum: “I talk to him every couple of days. He’s loving it over there.”

Justin Tatum said there are “High-level talented guys” in the NBL. Former NBA players in the NBL include Montrezl Harrell, Ian Clark, Matthew Dellavedova, Matthew Hurt, Rob Edwards, Bryce Cotton and Derrick Walton Jr. NBL alumni in the NBA include Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng and Washington Wizards forward Alexandre Sarr. Moreover, New Zealand Breakers forward Karim Lopez, 17, is a heralded prospect for the 2026 NBA draft.

“And I’m not just talking about the former, current or want to be NBA players that are over here,” Justin Tatum said. “The Australian players are unbelievably good. It’s very physical. A lot of things you can’t get away with in the States, they let you play through here.”

The Hawks entered Wednesday with the second-best record in the 10-team NBL at 6-3, averaging 98.5 points per game. Justin Tatum said Illawarra’s offense and camaraderie has been a key to its early success this season.

Justin Tatum has dreams of becoming a coach in the NBA one day. But right now, his biggest goal is getting the Hawks their first title since 2001 when they were the Wollongong Hawks.

“He wants to one day coach in the NBA as an assistant or on some level. This is a steppingstone to where he was trying to get to,” Jayson Tatum said.