Jayson Tatum was just announced as the Chief Basketball Officer for the Duke basketball team this season. Tatum suffered an unfortunate ruptured Achilles last season which means he has much more down time than anticipated. He is choosing to use that downtime to help The Brotherhood that he loves so much.
Jayson Tatum Joins Duke Staff
Scheyer and Tatum Relationship
Tatum and Jon Scheyer have a very close relationship and they love to throw jabs at each other. There are frequent discussions about who is the best shooter amongst the two and who has won one-on-one competitions and other shooting matchups.
Scheyer was an assistant coach when Jayson Tatum was in Durham and they developed a close connection. Scheyer was also the lead recruiter on Tatum’s recruitment. This close relationship has continued while Tatum has moved on to have a superstar NBA career and be one of the best player’s in the world. Tatum also frequently reps Duke in his NBA tunnel fits and is never shy to let the world know where he played.
Chief Basketball Officer Job Description
What exactly will Tatum be doing? Well, based on the press release, he is basically going to take on a big brother role in an official capacity to this current team. He also will be part of coaches meetings to help offer some insight on roster construction and other gameplan ideas.
In the video posted by Duke, Tatum states that he wants all the players to take his number and call him for anything that comes up during the season. He also wants them to come to him with any things that they do not feel comfortable discussing with coaches. Honestly, Tatum already did this for most players including Cooper Flagg last season but now that there is an official title, players may feel more comfortable going to him for advice.
CBO JT ➡️ peak Brotherhood 😈🤝@jaytatum0 pic.twitter.com/xF0CeWCwbP
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 7, 2025
Duke Stays Ahead of the Curve
Several years ago, Duke made the decision to hire Rachel Baker from Nike as the team general manager. This was a groundbreaking decision that has continued Duke’s dominance in the recruiting space and gave them a headstart in the world of NIL.
Now, Duke continues the next step by using an NBA superstar to be a direct line of contact to their team. This is similar to Davidson using Stephen Curry as GM, or Weber State doing the same with Damian Lillard. The main difference is Duke has somewhere between 25-30 players on NBA rosters this year, pending cuts after training camps.
Having a young superstar that easily connects with the players going to college now and was previously a highly touted recruit is very helpful. That face being a part of team meetings, showing up at games, providing advice to players, and helping connect them with current NBA players, agents, trainers, etc. is just the next step in continuing to advance Duke’s NCAA prominence.
Jayson Tatum Beaming With Pride
Tatum dove deep into his Brotherhood roots on the recent The Brotherhood podcast.
“This program means so much to me,” Tatum said. “I already watch every game, come back whenever I can, and connect with Coach Scheyer often. To have the chance to formalize that relationship and broaden my ability to impact the players and culture means the world to me. As former players, we all share the responsibility of supporting the next generation of Duke Basketball,” Tatum said.
Representation matters. These Blue Devil players are going to Durham to further their basketball careers and have a chance to reach the NBA. Now, they have a player that is thriving in the NBA here to give them direct advice and make sure they are on the road to success. That makes a world of difference.
© Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
