If you notice, the birth of both children of Jayson Tatum were in crucial periods of his life. Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Tatum Jr. was born in his rookie year. And as for the surprise little bundle of joy, it was right after Team USA won gold. Of course, little Deuce (not so little anymore) has become a staple in Boston. As to whether his baby brother will follow in his footsteps, we will have to wait and see.

For now, why don’t we take a look at Tatum’s baby mamas?

Toriah Lachell – the mother of Deuce and Jayson Tatum’s first girlfriend

Two 19-year-olds and a newborn. Not the ideal situation, but the pair made it work beautifully. JT was just out of Duke when his girlfriend, Toriah [pronounced Tor-E-uh], told him that she was pregnant with their child. The timing was critical, as Tatum had decided to turn professional after his freshman season with the Blue Devils. But Jayson stuck to his decision and was selected as the third pick in June.

On December 6, 2017, baby Deuce arrived. JT couldn’t be happier! “My mindset was not to sacrifice either. I was going to be the best father as well as the best basketball player… It’s kind of like we’re growing up together. As he’s gotten older, I’m going through my career and [we’re] experiencing this together. I think it’s the coolest part for me,” he said during a post-game presser in 2022.

Lachell and Tatum met at Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis, Missouri. Toriah, too, had a love for sports since high school and became active in varsity soccer and softball. Needless to say, this mutual love for sports brought the couple together.

However, their relationship did not really blossom, as we have seen with a few other high school sweethearts. Shortly after the birth of Jayson Tatum Jr., the pair broke up. Since then, Tatum has focused on his NBA career and his son, while Toriah did the same.

Although she was born and raised in St. Louis, Lachell moved to Boston in 2018, no doubt to be closer to her son. But she didn’t stop there. Toriah enrolled in a cosmetology school with the hopes of starting her own salon someday.

According to her IG account, the inspiration to focus on being a hair stylist for all curls was her own experience with them. “From a young age I got relaxers until I was old enough to start caring for my own hair. After years of learning to take care of my own hair and helping others along the way I decided to take a leap of faith.” 

And in early May 2021, Toriah Lachell was officially the owner of The Curl Bar, located at 76 Cross Street, Somerville, Massachusetts! A little extra trivia about Deuce’s mom is that Toriah’s favorite color is pink, but she is “SO not a girly girl.” Furthermore, she is “addicted to chocolate cake and will eat it for breakfast with no regrets.” An R&B lover, Tupac is one of her top five rappers. (credit: her Instagram account – @thecurlbarboston)

Well, that’s all about Toriah. But I doubt we are going to have the same luck with JT’s next baby mama. But perhaps, not much is needed, given she is a world-famous British R&B singer.

Ella Mai – ‘very demure, very mindful’

Ella Mai Howell needs no introduction. The 29-year-old rose to popularity after her tour with Kehlani in 2017, where her opening act led to Mai’s music reaching a larger audience. But the real deal, perhaps, was when her single, ‘Boo’d Up’ started gaining some serious attention, and in April 2018, Ella released a music video.

Rolling Stone noted that the single was “one of the biggest singles by a breakout female R&B singer in the past 10 years.”

Aside from her professional updates and progress, Ella Mai is a fairly private person, bar the most basic information. When you are a popular public figure, there is only so much privacy you can get. But with Mai, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that she had perfected the art of privacy. How else would we have been completely in the dark about her pregnancy?

She and Jayson Tatum have been linked as far back as 2019.

According to People, the hooper reportedly flew to Baltimore to attend Ella’s show just hours after a Celtics game! Mai, for her part, was in attendance for a Boston vs New York matchup. He was also at the forefront of her 29th birthday bash in NYC.

Although the renowned music artist, who flaunts 4.4 million followers on Instagram, shared a video recap of her party, Jayston Tatum wasn’t in it. However, one of the partygoers took to X to post a game of musical chairs, and lo and behold! who else but the Celt himself!

However, neither of them came forward to confirm the rumors. Fast forward to 2024. More specifically, the day when the Cs won the championship. Everyone was shocked to see the ‘Heart On My Sleeve’ singer sporting a baby bump at the NBA Finals in June.

Although it was, at best, a quick snap, matters were further confirmed during the Olympics when Ella Mai joined the Tatum family for a post-Olympic photoshoot. The Grammy Award winner was holding a little boy in her arms as she posed for a family picture.

Needless to say, it went viral. Comments along the lines of “winning on and off the court” soon flooded the social media. However, not much is known about the rumored couple’s newborn. Again, neither of them have come forward with an official stance, as such.

At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if, one day, Jayson Tatum and Ella Mai announced that they had tied the knot, putting an end to all the rumors in a blissful way! And the start of a new chapter. Anyway, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the updates as they come in.

Meanwhile, hungry for more basketball content? Do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.