NBA Notebook: How Jayson Tatum made Celtics trainer Isaiah Covington Boston's DJ

As Jayson Tatum stood in the right corner catching passes and firing up shots in October at Madison Square Garden, warming up the morning of the opening game of his seventh NBA season, he heard a familiar sound out of his left ear. Jay Z's "The Prelude" switched into the Frank Sinatra sample that opens up "I Did It My Way" off Jay's 2002 album The Blueprint II. Tatum, still shooting, turned his head toward mid-court, where Celtics trainer Isaiah Covington stood in front of the scorer's table next to a massive JBL speaker controlling the music from an iPad.

"I'll give you this one," Covington yelled over to Tatum. 

"I was waiting on you to say that," Tatum replied as Jay Z began his verse. "You didn't know this before you met me." 

That's become a familiar sight around the Celtics in recent years, with Jay Z as Tatum and Covington's shared favorite artist becoming the staple artist played at team shootarounds, practices, workouts and other gatherings. The moment they shared hours before the Celtics beat the Knicks in October recalled the one in January, 2021 when Covington arrived in Boston as the team's new performance coach hired from the Warriors' G-League affiliate, where he spent parts of the previous four years after beginning his NBA career with the Pacers. Covington learned about Jay Z through his older brother Kyrie, like Tatum learned to love him hearing his mother Brandy listen to him growing up in St. Louis. They connected when Tatum, then the team's unofficial DJ, played "I Did It My Way." Covington swore he'd heard every Jay Z song. Tatum found a new one.

The pair became close after that first conversation, sharing conversations about lyrics, their other favorite artists and life before Tatum entrusted Covington with that DJ role he'd also filled while with the Pacers and Warriors organizations. While in Indiana, he noticed nobody controlling the music at team events, so he filled that gap, but in Boston it's become less of a hobby and more of a second full-time job. While managing the team's strength-and-conditioning and sports science programs, he's consulting different players on what they listen to, striking a balance between those different preferences on a team obsessed with music ranging in age from 20-year-olds to Al Horford at 37. 

"I didn't want to step on any toes. I was new," Covington told Boston Sports Journal, remembering his arrival in 2021. "Then there were a few times on a road where either (Tatum) or other guys would be like, what are you listening to? Or it's quiet, nobody has the iPad, everybody looks at me like, 'oh what's going on? What are we doing? What are we doing?' So I'm like, 'alright from now on I know this is another one of my roles.' It's something I enjoy, I like it. I don't like the backlash sometimes, because it's hard trying to (play) everything, we got 17 guys, then we got like 10-12 coaches. Obviously everybody has different opinions and stuff like that, but I embrace that, because it's just cool like seeing what everybody likes, what everybody doesn't like, and I've also learned stuff too." 

Covington, a rap and R&B lover, learned about Morgan Wallen, the popular country singer from Blake Griffin, Luke Kornet and Sam Hauser, who preferred to hear that genre during the Bus One Boy rides, scrimmages and shootaround sessions. Celtics players travel separately to shootarounds and take the court at different times to space out their time on the floor. That allows a wide range of songs to fill the arena or gym before Tatum arrives to Jay Z, along with other team favorites like Rick Ross. Horford loves the Miami rapper too, while also preferring to hear Bachata from his native Dominican Republic while lifting after games. Grant Williams loved J. Cole, having moved from Houston to Charlotte as a child. Joe Mazzulla and Derrick White love Drake, the Celtics' head coach praising his Certified Lover Boy album at the All Star Game last year while Derrick White and Covington shared a love of his track "Omertà," which the rapper released after his Raptors beat Covington's Warriors in the 2019 Finals. 

That appreciation for Drake only grew when two Toronto natives, Dalano Banton and Oshae Brissett, joined the roster this year. Lower on the roster in recent seasons, rookie J.D. Davison and Robert Williams III gave Covington an appreciation for rappers popular with younger listeners like NBA Youngboy, Lil Baby and Lil Durk. Williams III showed his Louisiana roots with his love for Lil Wayne. Malcolm Brogdon, who grew up around Atlanta, enjoyed listening to Jeezy like Covington and Wale while Jaylen Brown further introduced him to Jay Electronica, a popular underground rapper who released his first mainstream project A Written Testimony alongside many Jay Z features in 2020. Future often fills the room during their weight-training sessions or Afrobeats artists, another one of Horford's favorite genres. Other players put Covington on to rock artists like Bon Jovi and Journey. Covington selects songs on the fly, sometimes getting met with no, no, no, from the players in the room if they want to overrule him. 

"Sometimes we just put music on by ourselves, and if (Covington) doesn't know it, he'll be like, hey, what's this?" Hauser told BSJ. "A couple of us introduced him to different genres like country, rock and pop, certain songs, but he said he always gets stressed out doing the music, because he's trying to please the crowd, so we try to help him out whenever that's the case. I showed him some Niko Moon music and I don't know if he liked it or not, I liked it, so I wanted to hear it ... from what I can tell, he tries to please the crowd, but sometimes you have to trust his music choice. "Don't Stop Believing" has been one (song that we showed him). "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, Meek Mill did a remix to that, so he knew it, but he thought it was Meek Mill's song, not Phil Collins', so we introduced him to the actual song and he likes it." 

Covington's DJ sessions have ranged in size with the Celtics between hallways and the locker room before practices and games to TD Garden and the Warriors' arena when the teams met in the NBA Finals, with the large open practice sessions flocked by worldwide media filled with the Notorious B.I.G in June, 2022. While the Celtics' player tastes have varied widely, many share an appreciation for classic hip-hop despite their relatively younger ages, starting at the top with Tatum. As he and Covington discussed songs to play into last postseason, they began compiling themes for each opposing city they'd play in. The Celtics opened the playoffs in round one against the Hawks, meaning OutKast's famous "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" had players singing on the floor alongside hits from Young Thug and Ludacris on their way to a first-round victory, before Meek Mill became the soundtrack in round two at Philadelphia and the east finals at Miami featured Rick Ross, Kodak Black and other South Beach stars. 

Beyond the team's music passion he helped curate, Covington, 29 years old this season, also helped represent the team's support of historically Black colleges and universities as a graduate of Delaware State when the Celtics celebrated the schools last January. Boston hosted students and fraternities and gave away a scholarship from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund during the team's home game against the Pelicans marking the first HBCU night at TD Garden. Covington, a Philadelphia native, went on to earn his master's at LIU Brooklyn before beginning his NBA career in 2017. He also takes part in the team's community health and wellness initiatives and served as a performance coach with the Nigerian national team during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. 

Tatum still refers to himself as the Celtics' DJ and jokingly called Covington his assistant who takes over when Tatum has to step onto the floor for his workouts. That's when Jay Z almost always comes on, with "All I Need" from The Blueprint becoming Tatum's favorite song alongside "Money, Cash, H***" with DMX, "Where Have You Been" and of course, "I Did It My Way." One year later, Tatum finally met Jay Z court side during the NBA Finals before spending time with him in New York later that summer. Covington called it a full-circle moment for Tatum after their many discussions about their top-five verses, songs, albums and the meaning behind his lyrics. A passion that preceded Covington's time with the organization. 

"Everywhere I've been ... I would always make playlists, because I always felt like even for me, I played sports in high school and music for me is something that always got me in my zone and I feel whether you're a professional athlete, whether you're going to the gym to get a workout and you're going on a run, music has a unique way of motivating people and I always wanted to put my athletes in the best opportunity to train, whether we're blasting music, we're doing competitions. I want everybody to be engaged and to really feel it," Covington said. "I still have playlists from like playoff games with the Pacers, playoff games with the Warriors." 

"I have a nickname here, Sleep, that everyone calls me. So whenever we get to the arena, I'll hear J.T. or somebody say, 'DJ Sleep, what are we listening to?'" 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (18-27): Have two weeks to decide the direction of their team over the next year and appear on the verge of taking a step back. The Lakers reportedly offered the Hawks two first-round picks for Dejounte Murray, and while Atlanta prefers not to take back D'Angelo Russell and wants Austin Reaves, the bidding began for likely the best player who'll move in two weeks. Jake Fischer believes a three-team deal could emerge similar to what landed Russell back in Los Angeles last year, but the Sixers, Jazz and others have also registered interest in the Hawks star in recent weeks. Atlanta has lost four straight and 6-of-10, reaching a new low defensively by allowing 73 points to Luka Dončić on Friday.

Boston (35-10): Remember that bad loss in Milwaukee? The Celtics led by double-digits in all seven games since, only squandering that advantage to the Nuggets in a 102-100 loss that ended Boston's 20-0 record march inside TD Garden to begin the year. Their latest thumping, over the Heat on Thursday, saw them take a 30-point lead for the ninth time over their last 21 games. Kristaps Porziņģis turned his left ankle in the win and did not return, seemingly avoiding a severe sprain. He's doubtful for Saturday's game. Jrue Holiday told MassLive before the game that he hopes to remain with the Celtics beyond this year and expects to begin negotiations on an extension with the team when he becomes allowed to in April. Holiday can become a free agent by opting out of his contract this summer. 

Charlotte (10-33): Began to sell ahead of the deadline by trading Terry Rozier to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 lottery-protected first-round pick in a move that had been rumored for weeks. Lowry expects to remain with the Hornets while Charlotte tries to re-route him and his expiring contract ($29.7M) elsewhere before the deadline, and aside from LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller appear open for business in a selloff that'll likely send most of their veteran core packing into next month. Gordon Hayward ($31.5M) and Miles Bridges ($7.9M) are playing on expiring contracts while PJ Washington signed a long-term deal with the team last summer. The Jazz, Pistons and Suns have called about Bridges, according to Fischer, and Lowry will not play for the Hornets while he awaits a deal. Phoenix also inquired about center Nick Richards. 

Chicago (21-25): Sit in the ninth seed in the east as conversations regarding Zach LaVine's future with the franchise continued with the Pistons, reportedly ending with Chicago requesting Bojan Bogdanovic and a Bulls prospect for the veteran guard. DeMar DeRozan indicated he's willing to help get former Raptors teammate and friend Kyle Lowry to the Bulls if asked. Chicago dropped a shootout with the Suns and allowed 141 points to the Lakers on Thursday after previously winning 5-of-7 to remain in the east playoff mix. 

Cleveland (27-16): Back in a familiar place as a home-court advantage team in the east after winning 9-of-10, more recently two sizable wins over the Bucks during a stretch that saw them face Milwaukee three times. They also blew out the Hawks and Magic as their success without Evan Mobley (14-7) and Darius Garland (13-4) continued. Jarrett Allen has thrived in a single-big role without Mobley, averaging 18.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG and 4.0 APG on 62.9% shooting with over one block and steal per game over his last 15 appearances, with Cleveland winning 11. They beat the Bucks again on Friday behind 56 points and 22 rebounds combined between Donovan Mitchell and Allen, doing so without Tristan Thompson, who began serving a 25-game suspension for violating the league's drug program by testing positive for ibutamoren, a growth hormone, and SARM LGD-4033. Thompson logged 36 games for Cleveland, opening a need at center alongside the point guard spot vacated by Ricky Rubio to begin the year.

Dallas (25-20): Luka Dončić one-upped Joel Embiid by scoring a historic 73 points, all of them needed, in a 148-143 win over the Hawks team that passed on him on Friday. Dončić tied Wilt Chamberlain and David Thompson for the fourth-highest scoring total ever in a NBA game, doing so on 25-of-33 shooting (8-13 3PT, 15-16 FT) with 10 rebounds, seven assists and only four turnovers. The performance followed Embiid's 70-point outing over San Antonio in the same week and a 62-point Karl-Anthony Towns performance in a Wolves loss. Dončić had struggled immensely on defense against the Celtics in a 119-110 loss on Monday that Jason Kidd pointed out as the key reason for the loss, calling on the Mavs to do a better job helping the star on that end before losing badly to Phoenix in the following game. Grant Williams, playing against Boston for the first time since departing the Celtics last summer, scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting in the loss, getting blocked on his full-court heave by Jayson Tatum. 

Dončić's outburst marked the most points in an NBA game since Kobe Bryant's famous 81-point night against Toronto, 18 years ago this week, which also marked four years since the basketball legend's death at 41 in a tragic 2020 helicopter crash in LA. Jayson Tatum spoke to Andscape about his lasting memories of Bryant and his influence. 

Detroit (5-39): Before the deadline in what's already a lost season, James Edwards III reported that the Pistons have no interest in trading Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey, the team's young core, over the next two weeks. Detroit also acted in recent weeks more like a buyer, calling the Hawks about Dejounte Murray, the Hornets about Miles Bridges and Chicago about Zach LaVine, according to reports. Neither deal gained traction due in part to their interest in the Pistons' young players, alongside Bojan Bogdanovic, who Detroit might keep on the roster into the summer after he signed an extension last year. Alec Burks could move for a pair of seconds, Edwards wrote, while veteran guard Monté Morris' season debut on Wednesday might precede a quick transition to a new team if he shows well in his return to action from a quad strain. A former Pistons employee sued the team and former assistant GM Robert Murphy for alleged sexual harassment. Detroit fired Murphy last May due to a 'violation of company policy.'

Golden State (19-23): The Warriors returned to play after two postponed games in the aftermath of assistant coach Dejan Milojević's death last week, facing the Hawks, who stood alongside them pre-game for the Serbian national anthem in honor of the late 46-year-old who suffered a heart attack during the team's trip to Utah. Warriors players wore BRATE on their t-shirts, Serbian for brother, along with his initials. Bogdan Bogdanovic, a fellow Serbian native, joined Steve Kerr and other Warriors with Milojević's family in a pre-game ceremony honoring the coach. Golden State beat the Hawks, 134-112. 

“It’s very emotional just to walk into the building for the first time on a game night without Deki. Obviously we’re all wearing our shirts, and there’s images of him with his ever-present smile,” Kerr said. “It’s very emotional because it’s all still very raw and surreal in a lot of ways. We’ve been practicing the last few days and there’s not a whole lot to say to prepare for something like this. You just dive in headfirst, stick together, and go try to win a basketball game, and honor our brother.” 

They'll make up the Jazz game in February and face the Mavericks in April. Elsewhere, Team USA did not include Draymond Green in its preliminary roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, citing his recent suspensions. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday headlined the 41-man field from the Celtics. 

Houston (21-23): Lost 7-of-10, including a pair of games to the Celtics, to fall out of the west playoff picture. Fischer reported they're interested in reuniting with former Celtics Robert Williams III, who played for Ime Udoka in 2022 and is out for the season with a knee injury, alongside Malcolm Brogdon, who played for Rockets and former Boston assistants Ben Sullivan and Garrett Jackson. Brogdon is signed next season and is available for a first-round pick after the Blazers acquired him in the Jrue Holiday trade with the Celtics. He's averaging 15.7 PPG and 5.3 APG on 42.2% three-point shooting, all marks in line with his sixth man of the year campaign last season. 

Indiana (26-20): Began life with Pascal Siakam this week, as their run of games without Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) continued, falling to 3-7 without their all-star guard before beating 76ers and Suns to end the week. Siakam, who noted his difficult transition from the only NBA team he's known in Toronto, averaged 19.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 6.0 APG on 54.4% shooting through his first four appearances with Indiana before scoring 31 in 33 minutes to down the Suns on Friday. Siakam's sometimes plodding pace married with the Pacers' top-ranked paint scoring offense worked, while off the court, he's nearby his brother Christian, who's playing college basketball for IUPUI in Indianapolis. Haliburton, who's expected back on the floor this week after the Pacers ruled him out of their last three games ahead of time. Indiana hosts the Grizzlies on Sunday before traveling to Boston for their final meeting with the Celtics on Monday, a game Haliburton originally looked forward to as his first career scheduled TNT game.

Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid join Haliburton as all-star starters next month in Indiana.  

Clippers (29-14): Visit TD Garden on Saturday having won four straight and 12-of-14 since their 145-108 disastrous loss without Kawhi Leonard on their home court before Christmas, the worst mark in an otherwise stellar stretch that's vaulted them atop the league since James Harden's arrival. They beat the Raptors on the front end of their back-to-back behind 22 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists from Harden, his 75th career triple-double (8th all-time behind Wilt Chamberlain, 78). Ivica Zubac (calf) remains out and Paul George is managing a groin injury he played through against Toronto as the team arrives in Boston. 

Lakers (23-23): Remain stuck in the .500 grind to begin the season, playing 18 of their 46 games into crunch time finishes. Their rocky half season likely won't lead to Darvin Ham's in-season dismissal though, despite some clamoring emerging internally over rotations. The Lakers will search for a D'Angelo Russell upgrade ahead of next month's deadline, according to reports, with Dejounte Murray an early discussion that's stalled. Expect Malcolm Brogdon to emerge as their backup plan, but it's unclear if the mostly shooting guard represents a clear upgrade on Russell, who keyed the team's second round win over the Warriors last spring and has now averaged 27.4 PPG over his last seven games, four of them LA wins. His inconsistency plays into some of the Lakers', but his role has been changed as much as anyone's on the team through their start. They visit the Celtics in Boston on Thursday. 

Miami (24-21): Lost five straight after going on the fourth-longest NBA streak since last dropping that many consecutive games, 233 days ago. Their fifth came at the hands of the Celtics, 143-110, while Terry Rozier fell to 6-for-21 from the field since joining Miami. Erik Spoelstra blamed the whirlwind week, which ended with a back-to-back for the Heat, for Rozier's slow start while the team's recent lull obviously irritated the coach. 

“It was a humbling night, that’s for sure. They put us in our place," Spoelstra said. "You do have to respect the body of word that they've done so far in this season. They're the No. 1 team in the league ... they're doing it on both ends of the court ... they don't miss many moments offensively. If somebody's open, they make you pay for that ... you have to really be intentional, disciplined and intelligent offensively ... if you're not getting the right kind of shots, then it's going the other way and an 8-10 point lead can go to 20 pretty quickly ... that's the standard, we understand what that is ... we have some work to do."

Milwaukee (31-14): Fired Adrian Griffin after a 30-13 start to his NBA coaching career this week in a shocking first firing across the league that led to Doc Rivers leaving the ESPN broadcast booth to become the team's next head coach. Rivers' former 76ers assistant Dave Joerger will reportedly join the Bucks as part of their coach shuffling, along with former Pistons assistant Rex Kalamian as Rivers tries to pick up the pieces from the bottom-10 defensive start that forced Milwaukee to pull off 18 crunch time wins over the likes of Detroit throughout the first half of the season. Griffin reportedly lost the faith of the players despite emerging as a Giannis Antetokounmpo favorite last summer, when Milwaukee's star reportedly disliked the idea of bringing in Nick Nurse and opting for his former assistant in Griffin, who struggled to implement the Raptors' defensive system before reverting back to Mike Budenholzer principles. The Bucks will now pay Budenholzer, Griffin and Rivers simultaneously, who reportedly earned four-years, $40 million. Rivers starred for three years at Milwaukee's Marquette University from 1980-1983 and has his number retired inside FiServ Forum. Jake Fischer wrote that the Bucks could shop their pair of second-round picks, along with Cam Payne, Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis' contracts to acquire a range of targets, whether Alex Caruso, Dejounte Murray, PJ Tucker or Matisse Thybulle. 

New Orleans (26-19): Exploring center upgrades ahead of the deadline, per Fischer, while their dive below the luxury tax line in the Pascal Siakam trade makes them worth monitoring if they have to juggle money in larger deals. Bobby Marks previously identified New Orleans backup wing Naji Marshall (1yr, $1.9M) as a fit for the Celtics. The Pelicans visit Boston for the second half of the Celtics' back-to-back on Tuesday. 

New York (28-17): Moved into a tie for the fourth seed in the east after improving to 11-2 in OG Anunoby's games since arriving from Toronto. He scored 26 points with six steals, hitting 10-of-18 from the field in a dominant win over the defending champion Nuggets that marked the Knicks' fifth straight win. Although Bruce Brown spoke in Toronto with at least interest in talking about returning to New York to play for the Knicks, New York appears more focused on a purer point guard in Dejounte Murray with their array of future draft picks and Evan Fournier's expiring contract. Wing prospect Quentin Grimes could also provide teams some value ahead of the deadline as the Knicks grapple with maintaining assets for future star-hunting with an apparent golden opportunity to emerge as one of the NBA's best teams into the playoffs. 

Philadelphia (29-14): The likely destination for Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry if he's bought out of his contract with the Hornets, given those local ties and his large contract making him ineligible to join teams over the cap apron like Boston, both Los Angeles teams and the Warriors. Moving above the apron line would prevent such a signing, while adding Lowry would hard cap the Sixers at that apron line for this season. Philadelphia has made its interest in a guard known. The Sixers continued rolling atop the east as their search for a James Harden replacement or a more complementary addition with the assets remaining from their trade with the Clippers. They won six straight before losing to the Pacers on Thursday, Joel Embiid scoring 31 points in 31 minutes after his 70-point outburst on Monday captivated the NBA world. He's averaging 36.0 PPG on 53.9% FG as the MVP favorite.

Phoenix (26-19): Won 7-of-10 and searching for bench upgrades, but with Grayson Allen reportedly unavailable, their future draft capital tied up and three expensive stars rounding out most of their cap commitments, it's more likely the Suns look to the low-cost buyout market below the $12.4-million limit for apron teams. Miles Bridges intrigues as a relatively low-cost, high impact addition in terms of salary matching, but even that involves emptying the bench of four players. Don't expect big changes here. Fischer reported they've targeted guards Delon Wright and Monté Morris, along with Jae'Sean Tate and Royce O'Neale, and could float Nassir Little in such deals. 

Toronto (16-29): Their list of untouchable players ahead of their first rebuilding deadline -- Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. That opens the door for Gary Trent Jr., Dennis Schröder, Jakob Poetl, Bruce Brown and Chris Boucher, all players who could net a solid return for the Raptors and change the fortune of playoff teams. The same can't be said for Thad Young ($8M) and Otto Porter Jr. ($6.3M), but the sturdy veterans could help a contending team in depth and leadership roles. 

Utah (23-23): Will buy and sell at the trade deadline, per Fischer, making Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker available while searching for veteran help in the back court alongside rookie Keyonte George, who has taken over the point position as Utah scratches back toward the west playoff picture. Dejounte Murray fell on their radar, and their asset core could top most rival suitors. How aggressively Danny Ainge and their front office want to act remains uncertain after adding John Collins' salary as their summer flier after assessing moves for other expensive players. A dream around the league of Kelly Olynyk getting bought out feels less likely now.

Washington (7-37): Capped a five-game losing streak by relieving head coach Wes Unseld Jr. of his duties late this week after a 77-130 mark across three seasons with the Wizards. Assistant coach Brian Keefe took over as interim coach until a summer search begins for a permanent replacement, while Unseld will remain with the organization in its front office. Keefe previously coached with the Nets and Thunder, among others, receiving praise from Kevin Durant for his role in the star's development from 2007-2015 before reuniting with Durant between 2021-23. Keefe grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts before playing at UC Irvine and UNLV in college during the 1990s.