What is Jayson Tatum's new role at Duke? NBA star's historic announcement explained

NBA superstar Jayson Tatum is set to return to Duke University in a new role. On Tuesday, the university announced on Instagram that Tatum will be joining as the Chief Basketball Officer. This is the first time in Duke’s basketball program history that such a position has been filled.

According to the university’s website, Tatum will serve as a special advisor to head coach Jon Scheyer and use his NBA experience to help with player development.

Listed below are the duties Duke University states Jayson Tatum will carry out as their Chief Basketball Officer:

Conduct in-person team visits to share insights on player development, professionalism, and team culture.
Serve as a mentor to student-athletes, offering guidance on career management, personal brand building, and balancing life as a student-athlete.
Join periodic virtual sessions with the team and coaching staff to provide ongoing perspective throughout the season.
Advise Scheyer on roster construction and development trends informed by his NBA experience.
Provide feedback on player performance and growth plans to help align Duke with professional-level standards.

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Jayson Tatum previously spent one season playing for the Duke Blue Devils, averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his freshman year. His performance led to him being drafted at No. 3 in 2017.

Tatum has since gone on to win an NBA championship with the Celtics. Widely regarded as one of the best players in the league, he averaged 26.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 6.0 apg in 2024-25.

"I'm feeling great": Jayson Tatum gives comforting injury update to Duke coach Jon Scheyer

Following his announcement as Duke Basketball's CBO, Jayson Tatum sat down for a conversation with coach Jon Scheyer on "The Brotherhood Podcast." Scheyer asked the Celtics star about his recovery from an Achilles injury he suffered in May.

Tatum gave a comforting answer, expressing gratitude for being back on the court.

I'm feeling great. Five months and a week roughly at this point. I'm back on the court. I'm back working out," Tatum said. "Starting to feel a lot more like myself. It's been a long journey from the first day to surgery to where I am now. But I feel great."

While Jayson Tatum is back playing basketball, he is expected to miss a significant part of the 2025-26 season.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Sameer Khan