Jayson Tatum turned back the clock against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night, and the Boston Celtics star admitted that his poster dunk on LeBron James meant more to him than just two points.

Midway through the third quarter, Tatum split a double team, drove hard to the rim and threw down a one-handed slam right over James. After the game, Tatum explained why the play felt so special.

“It just kind of felt good to finish through contact. It’s been about 19 months since I dunked on somebody. Just to kind of get my legs back, feeling good, it’s a basketball play,” the 28-year-old said.

Jayson Tatum on dunking on Lebron James:

"It just kind of felt good to finish through contact. It's been about 19 months since I dunked on somebody. Just to kind of get my legs back, feeling good, it's a basketball play" pic.twitter.com/wlsIgAtwVY

— Oh No He Didn't 🤯 (@ohnohedidnt24) November 11, 2026

That stretch without a poster dunk speaks to the long road Tatum has traveled. The six-time All-Star tore his right Achilles tendon during the second round of the 2025 playoffs, an injury that sidelined him for much of the 2025-26 season. He finally made his return on March 6 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Ahead of that return, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the mental side of regaining confidence in his leg was the biggest hurdle for Tatum, which makes his comments about getting his legs back all the more meaningful.

Now, Tatum looks like he is regaining his explosiveness. The dunk also brought back memories of one of the most iconic moments of his career, when he posterized James as a rookie in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals.

That one came in a losing effort, but this time, Tatum and the Celtics came out on top. Boston cruised to a 123-101 win over Philadelphia.

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Tatum finished with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, along with six rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Paul George led the way with 36 points against his former team, while Payton Pritchard chipped in 18.

The win carried extra meaning, as it was Tatum’s first matchup against Jaylen Brown since his longtime teammate was traded to the Sixers.

The victory improved Boston to 9-2 on the season. Next up is a road date with the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.