Jayson Tatum returned from the 2024 Paris Olympics with another gold medal. But his role in acquiring that medal didn't exactly go as planned.
The Boston Celtics star played just 71 total minutes for Team USA while appearing in four of six games. He was benched twice by head coach Steve Kerr -- once during a group play win over Serbia and again in the Olympic semifinals against Serbia.
Only 24-year-old guard Tyrese Haliburton saw less action for Team USA than Tatum, who has made three straight All-NBA First Teams, just won an NBA title with Boston and was the Americans' second-leading scorer when they won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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While Tatum obviously was thrilled to win another gold medal, the 26-year-old admitted he felt slighted by his lack of playing time.
"You feel like you deserve to play and the competitor in you wants to play," Tatum said Saturday after Team USA's victory over France in the gold medal game, via The Boston Globe. “And (Steve Kerr) is the coach for a reason. He makes those decisions."
Kerr attributed Tatum's smaller role to a "math problem" of finding time for 12 talented stars in a 40-minute game. But it's still curious that Tatum was an odd man out in Kerr's rotation, and it calls into question Tatum's future with USA Basketball, particularly at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Notably, Tatum didn't directly confirm he'll be a part of Team USA in 2028.
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"It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decisions off emotions,” Tatum said. “If you asked me right now if I’m going to play in 2028, it’s four years from now. I’d 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 feel individually.
"I keep trying to say, I’m trying not to make it about me. I know that’s the storyline the last few days, but we won. We won a gold medal, and that was most important."
If Tatum is trying to take the high road, those close to him are not. Tatum's mother vented about her son's lack of playing time after his benching against Serbia, and the star forward says he's gotten similar messages from several others in his orbit.
"A lot of people texted me and reached out and were like, ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate,” Tatum said, via The Globe. “There’s a lot of people that care about me. But I think the tough part is, yes, you can use things to fuel you, but, you know, I’m still human, and it’s still a human aspect, part of being in the moment.
"I sacrificed and put a lot into this game and worked really, really hard. ... In the moment it is tough, so I’m 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 and from this experience, definitely challenging and humbling at the same time."
The good news for Celtics fans? If they were worried about Tatum getting complacent after leading Boston to Banner 18, his "humbling" Olympic experience just gives him another reason to maintain his edge.