<p id=”par-1_45″>After the Boston Celtics won a championship, Jayson Tatum’s <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/celebrity-relationships/”>love life</a> became a hot topic when R&B singer Ella Mai was spotted wearing his jersey and debuting a baby bump. Now fans are wondering if the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/sports/”>NBA</a> star and British songbird are “boo’d up.” </p>
<p id=”par-2_31″>Here’s what we know and why the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/celebrity-athletes/”>athlete</a> previously admitted he wasn’t jumping for joy when he found out he was going to be a father the first time around. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-tatum-said-he-wasn-t-thrilled-when-he-learned-he-was-going-to-a-be-dad”>Why Tatum said he ‘wasn’t thrilled’ when he learned he was going to a be dad</h2>
<p id=”par-3_17″>As Celtics fans know, Tatum is already a father to Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr. aka Deuce. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Jayson-Tatum-of-the-Boston-Celtics-holds-the-Larry-OBrien-Championship-Trophy-with-his-son-Jayson-Christopher-Tatum-Jr.-aka-Deuce-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy with his son, Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr. aka ‘Deuce” class=”wp-image-3679540″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy with his son, Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr. aka ‘Deuce | Elsa/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_56″>Tatum’s son has become a fixture and fan-favorite at Celtics games. He also makes regular appearances with his dad at press conferences and warmups, and the basketball player’s social media is filled with photos of his little boy. But when Tatum first learned he was going to be a dad he wasn’t happy about it. </p>
<p id=”par-5_13″>In 2017, he found out his high school girlfriend, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/mother-jayson-tatum-son-celtics-star-dating-anyone-now.html/”>Toriah Lachell, was pregnant</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-6_50″>“I wasn’t ecstatic,” Tatum told the <a href=”https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/sports/2024/06/celtics-star-jayson-tatum-reflects-on-being-a-dad/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Adirondack Daily</a>. “I was a little selfish at that point because I knew that I was about to go chase my dream and be in the NBA. I felt like that was going to affect what people thought of me, affect where I went in the draft.”</p>
<p id=”par-7_54″>He added: “I’d be the first to say I wasn’t super-thrilled to find out I was going to be a dad, and quickly realized that it was the best thing that ever could have happened to me. There’s nothing better than being a dad. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-long-tatum-and-mai-have-been-romantically-linked”>How long Tatum and Mai have been romantically linked</h2>
<iframe src=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbreakfastclubam%2Fvideos%2F737912314086402%2F&show_text=false&width=447&t=0″ width=”447″ height=”476″ style=”border:none;overflow:hidden” scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”true” allow=”autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share”></iframe>
<p id=”par-8_27″>Well, if the reports are true, Tatum is about to be a father for the second time, as he’s been romanticly linked to Mai for some time.</p>
<p id=”par-9_39″>Rumors that they were an item first surfaced in 2019 when she was spotted at one of his games. There were a few sightings of them together after that but the two kept their relationship status under wraps. </p>
<p id=”par-10_27″>In 2022, when she was a guest on <em>The Breakfast Club</em>, Mai was asked directly if she was a Celtics fan or dating a “Celtics player.” </p>
<p id=”par-11_20″>The songwriter replied: “I’m a basketball fan definitely, but you know I’m not one to talk about my dating life.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter” id=”emb-2″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Jayson Tatum and Ella Mai at Marcus Smart’s wedding <img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/1f525.png” alt=”🔥” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /><br><br>(Via Abby Jiu Photography) <a href=”https://t.co/XhgKPb6vtR”>pic.twitter.com/XhgKPb6vtR</a></p>— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href=”https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1705611699326275820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>September 23, 2023</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-12_57″>In 2023 though, Tatum was spotted, along with Duece, watching Mai’s show during her tour stop in Boston. The athlete and recording artist were also photographed together at Marcus Smart’s wedding in September. However, neither Tatum or Mai have confirmed anything at this time, leaving fans to speculate about whether they are or aren’t together. </p>
<p id=”par-13_47″>Many fans are buzzing online with congrats for them. But others are bringing up Tatum’s future contract, which could be the largest in NBA history north of $300 million, and calculating how much child support payments would be for baby No. 2 if they’re not together. </p>
<p id=”par-14_9″>This will be the first child for Mai. </p>