Jayson Tatum played a small role in Team USA bringing home the gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics. Tatum received two DNPs during the tournament and played garbage time minutes in their Gold medal-clinching win over France. Much has been made about the Celtics’ star barely cracking the rotation, with the 2024 champion discussing the same while discussing if he’ll participate in the 2028 Olympics.
“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision on emotions. If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028 — it is four years from now and I [would have] to take time and think about that. So I’m not going to make any decision based on how this experience was or how I felt individually.”
“A lot of people text me and reached out and said ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate. There’s a lot of people that care about me. I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human.”
“Part of being in the moment, I’ve sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment, it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or [whenever] the season is, but like I said, it’s something I’m going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It’s definitely challenging and humbling at the same time.”
This was Tatum’s second Olympics, averaging 15.2 points and 3.3 rebounds the first time as a featured sixth man on Team USA at Tokyo 2020. Those numbers were 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds at the Olympics while playing four out of the six Team USA games.
He reshared a post on Instagram from entertainer Vince Staples about being avenged.
Jayson Tatum posted this on IG 😅 pic.twitter.com/d8Bie2epXR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 12, 2024
Head coach Steve Kerr made the decision to bench Tatum, which had been controversial even when he did it in the group stage, getting criticized by former players and even current Warriors star Draymond Green.
Nonetheless, Kerr’s decision was justified with the gold, which has further upset Tatum’s fans as the USA won without needing his production.
Brad Stevens Reflects On Jayson Tatum’s Playing Situation
NBA teams put trust in Team USA when their players go out for the Olympics, with team personnel often following the star to make sure they’re fine. The Celtics sent three players to the Olympics with Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White, while also having the biggest snub of the tournament, Jaylen Brown.
Current Celtics GM and former coach Brad Stevens reflected on Tatum barely playing for Team USA, reiterating that Tatum accepted his role for the sake of the team.
“It’s hard to not play, and I’m guessing it’s exponentially harder when you’re one of the best players in the world. But when we’ve talked, he’s been all about the team. This is such a unique opportunity to win a gold medal in the Olympics.”
Tatum will have a lot to prove heading into the 2024 NBA season, which is a weird thing to say given everything he’s accomplished over the last few months. But being treated like the 11th man on Team USA and losing out Finals MVP to teammate Jaylen Brown should charge Tatum to prove without doubt that he’s one of the best in the NBA right now.
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