Jayson Tatum's father sent timely Kobe Bryant reminder during tear-jerking phone call

During an emotional phone call following Jayson Tatum's devastating injury, Justin Tatum reminded the Boston Celtics star about his idol, NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

On Wednesday's "NBA Today," league insider Marc J. Spears narrated the story of Tatum's phone call with his father following the injury he suffered on Tuesday.

According to Spears, the Celtics star and his father cried on the phone together. Justin Tatum was in South Korea, making his way to a game in Mongolia.

Tatum asked:

"Why me, dad? Why me? Why does this have to happen to me?"

To which his father replied:

"Son, this is God's will. You're young, you're gonna get through this."

Tatum reminded his son about Kobe Bryant, who suffered a torn achilles tendon during the 2012-13 season, his 17th year in the NBA. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer returned to play three more seasons until 2015-16.

Tatum's father is a former professional basketball player. According to his website, Tatum started his coaching career as an assistant at his high school alma mater, Christian Brothers College High School. He is currently the coach of the Indonesian Basketball League's Pelita Jaya.

On Wednesday, the Celtics announced that Jayson Tatum underwent a successful surgery to repair his right ACL. The team said that its superstar is "expected to make a full recovery."

How soon could Jayson Tatum play again?

While no timetable has been reported for Jayson Tatum, much has been speculated about when he could return to the court. NBA insider Marc J. Spears said that Justin Tatum told him he expects his son to be out eight to nine months.

One of the players being compared to Tatum's setback is Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, who tore his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals. The two-time NBA champion returned after one and a half years.

According to ESPN's Kevin Pelton, in an article on Wednesday, only one NBA player, who had suffered an ACL injury since 2019, returned to the court sooner than 10 1/2 months: JJ Barea. While a return in time for next season's playoffs is possible, Pelton said, "there's basically no precedent for that."

The NBA community will certainly await the return of Tatum as the three-time All-NBA first-team selection massively impacts the chances of a deep postseason run for Boston. The Celtics have won 15 playoff series since drafting Tatum in 2018.