Jayson Tatum to join Duke as first chief basketball officer

Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics forward rehabbing a ruptured Achilles tendon, will rejoin his alma mater in an official capacity as Duke University’s first chief basketball officer, the school announced Tuesday. The 27-year-old made a surprise appearance last Friday at Duke’s Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium and was greeted with a thunderous ovation before coach Jon Scheyer told the crowd Tatum would be “helping us out this season.”

Duke described the newly created role as a volunteer special adviser to Scheyer and the program. Tatum is expected to lend his professional experience to player development, leadership, roster input and the broader culture of the team. The school said his duties will include mentoring current players, joining periodic virtual sessions, and offering feedback to the coaching staff. Scheyer, in a statement, called Tatum “the ultimate professional” and praised his ability “to inspire, motivate, and guide our student-athletes.”

Tatum played one season at Duke in 2016-17 before leaving for the NBA, averaging 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds while helping the Blue Devils to an ACC tournament championship and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament....