At Countdown to Craziness, Duke’s inherit season that was held last Friday, Jon Scheyer fans shocked by a special, unannounced guest: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who is suitable for the Blue Devils during the 2016-17 season.
But more interesting than the appearance of Tatum was the subtle claim of Scheyer that the six-time NBA All-Star ‘will help us this year’.
Duke made that official on Tuesday and announced that the Tatum named the program – and college basketball – first chief basketball officer. In the newly created role, Tatum will “do his time as a special adviser to Scheyer and the Duke program volunteering, which brings insight at the level of championship and professional basketball experience on development, leadership and life as a top athlete,” the school said in a release.
“This program means so much to me, and I had an incredible time here. I watch every game, come back when I can, and often make contact with coach Scheyer,” Tatum said in a statement. “To get the chance to formalize my relationship with the program and my ability to influence the players and increase culture, the world means to me. As former players, we all share the responsibility to support the next generation of Duke basketball.”
Tatum that participates in the Duke-Stortracks with a larger trend in college basketball of high-profile alumni that give something back to their schools. Trae Young and Steph Curry are, for example, the assistant -general managers to Oklahoma and Davidson respectively and are involved in generating income and grid construction.
But according to Duke’s release, Tatum’s responsibilities will go even further. The four-fold All-NBA selection meets Duke’s players personally to discuss their development and team culture, while they also offer career advice and tips on building a personal brand. Moreover, he will regularly feed virtual sessions with Duke’s staff throughout the season to give feedback and advise Scheyer about construction outside the season – via an NBA -lens of course.
Scheyer already has several NBA head coaches to his inner circle, including Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, but Tatum’s feedback will be invaluable.
“This program has always been to help the game ahead. Jayson has been an incredibly loyal to Duke since the day he has committed, and this evolution represents the next step in how we connect the brotherhood with the future of our players,” Scheyer said in a statement. “Jayson is the ultimate professional. His ability to inspire, motivate and guide our student athletes is unparalleled, and I could no longer be enthusiastic to see the impact he will have on our team and our culture.”
During the only season of Tatum in Durham, which led him to become the third general choice in the NBA Draft 2017, the 6-foot-8 attacker was an average of 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per match. And while the Tatum team did not continue to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, because he was upset by South Carolina, he quickly emerged as one of the most important ambassadors of the program at the next level.
The strong relationship of Tatum with Scheyer-Die as assistant coach of Mike Krzyzewski in that team 2016-17 was even more emphasized since Scheyer Duke’s head coach became in the spring of 2022. Tatum has often returned to Campus, including during Scheyer’s first off-play. His appearance when counting down to madness was more than just teasing his new role; It certainly did not hurt Duke’s recruitment efforts at the weekend, where the Blue Devils organized the number 2 player in the 2026 class, Jordan Smith.
While Tatum now continues to recover from the torn Achilles he suffered in May during the NBA play -offs, his influence on the program will be even more pronounced. Tatum is expected to miss most, if not all, from the NBA season 2025-26 while he rehabilitates his injury, and it is unclear how his role at Duke will change when he returns full-time to the Celtics.
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