Carmelo Anthony recently voiced his disappointment with how Steve Kerr handled Jayson Tatum’s playing time during the 2024 Paris Olympics, specifically criticizing the lack of communication regarding Tatum’s role on Team USA. Anthony, who was present at the Olympics and witnessed Tatum’s benching firsthand, expressed his sympathy for the Celtics star.
“I’m cool with you saying he’s not going to play. Just be honest. This is where we have a lack of communication. Because we’ve been in Vegas this whole time. We’ve talked to me. You already know where you see me at on this depth.”
“Have this talk with me private. Let me get myself together. Mentally and emotionally, like, you know, my shit going to be a lot different now. Like, I’m going to look at it differently in the sense of, I got to prepare differently.”
“And low as it can get, probably what made it worse was— There was no communication. So now, you have going up into the games, and everybody’s playing them. And now when it’s time to get to it, you don’t play them.”
“So because you looked at Tatum as the 9th, 10th, 11th guy, 10th through 11th guy, 10th through 12, 9th through 12, communicate that with me. Just talk to me. Come on, talk to me. Let’s have this conversation way ahead of time. Don’t do me like that on that.”
“If I’m Tatum, I will be pissed. He’s the cover athlete of 25 on Sports Illustrated, 2K, like, you the fucking, you know what I’m saying? this is athlete of the year. And it’s somebody that you built, you were building Team USA around, who won gold medals in 21. So y’all was building this shit around me.”
“So you mean to tell me y’all go from building this shit around me to me having to wait my turn? So as a player, this is how I’m thinking.” (1:16)
On his podcast “7PM in Brooklyn,” Carmelo Anthony shared that while he understood Kerr’s reasoning behind the decision, he believed that the situation could have been handled better.
Despite being a key figure in the Boston Celtics‘ 2024 NBA Championship run and an All-NBA First Team selection, Tatum found himself on the bench for significant portions of the tournament, including two crucial games against Serbia.
Anthony emphasized the importance of transparency between a coach and a player, particularly in high-stakes environments like the Olympics. He criticized Steve Kerr for not being upfront with Tatum about his role during the Las Vegas training camp, where the team’s strategy was being developed.
The unexpected benching seemed to take a toll on Jayson Tatum, who struggled to find his rhythm in the games he did play, averaging only 5.3 points per game. Anthony believes that this uncertainty about his role contributed to Tatum’s underwhelming performance.
Looking ahead, Tatum will have another chance to prove himself on the international stage, potentially as a veteran leader for Team USA in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Anthony’s comments highlight the need for clear communication and defined roles, especially for players of Tatum’s caliber, to ensure they can perform at their best.
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