Jayson Tatum is ready for the NBA All-Star Weekend. As a part of Team Shaq this year, he will be facing Team Candice in the first round. There is no doubt that the 26-year-old forward is excited to play alongside the likes of Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, and LeBron James. But amidst the excitement of the ASG, sad news crept in, silently and devastatingly.

Elyse Burks, wife of the Miami Heat hooper Alec Burks, is JT’s cousin. She took to her Instagram handle to share a massive heartbreak. Elyse recently lost her father. Thus sharing a post with a carousel of photos, she wrote a message talking about her loss. “Never could image living life without you. I can’t even put into words how much I miss you already. You were absolutely everything to me…There is truly no love like a fathers love and I’ll be missing you always. Until we meet again, your baby girl❤️🕊️,” Elyse Burk wrote.

Of course, Jayson Tatum’s cousin’s loss is a loss for him as well. And despite staying miles away from Elyse now due to the All-Star Weekend, the Boston Celtics’ star joined the prayer circle for the deceased. Taking to his IG Story, JT shared the Elsye Burks’ post and added: “🙏🏼❤️” A simple, two-emoji message for the uncle he lost to the ever-merciless hands of death.

Well, it’s never easy to balance social and personal life with such heartbreaks. However, for Jayson Tatum leaving the arena might be an option for now. He’s about to go deep into his 6th All-Star showdown. Meanwhile, there might be a slight chance that JT might dedicate his buckets or wins to his now-deceased uncle.

But how close Elyse and JT are, exactly?

Elyse Burks’ 5-year-old special birthday message for Jayson Tatum

Interestingly enough, Jayson Tatum is connected to several NBA personalities, including Ty Lue who happens to be his father’s cousin. Meanwhile, Tatum’s connection with the Miami Heat star Alec Burks has been quite a conversation, especially in 2020. In reality, Burks’ wife Elyse Rose has a blood relation with the Celtics’ hoopster.

In 2020, Elyse celebrated Tatum’s birthday in style. During the All-Star games, she clicked a picture with Jayson and her husband with baby Deuce in her arms. Captioning the post, Mrs. Burks wrote: “Happy birthday to my 2nd favorite Jayson Tatum @jaytatum0 (We all know Deuce is my favorite now) lol So proud of everything you’ve accomplished…”

Meanwhile. on another occasion, she took to her X (then Twitter) handle to share a photo with Jayson Tatum and her husband Alec Burks. Well, it’s safe to say, the cousins share a lot of love and respect for each other.

Therefore, Elyse’s loss means more than heartbreak for Tatum. It’s the grief of losing a family member. However, the truth lies in the fact that life goes on. And with the All-Star Weekend hyped up and electric with energy, JT will be in action amidst the personal loss.