The United States men's basketball team advanced to the gold medal game at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with a thrilling fourth quarter comeback in Thursday's semifinal win versus Serbia.
One prominent player on Team USA's roster didn't get an opportunity to be a part of it, though.
Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum didn't play a single minute in the 95-91 win. Tatum also didn't play when the United States defeated Serbia in their first group stage matchup earlier in the tournament. The 26-year-old wing was the second-to-last player to enter the quarterfinals win over Brazil on Tuesday.
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Tatum's strange DNP led longtime basketball broadcaster Dick Vitale to ask on Twitter/X if Tatum was injured. Tatum's mother, Brandy Cole, responded to the post by confirming Tatum is not injured. Like many Celtics fans, she also has no explanation for Tatum's lack of playing time in the Olympics.
Tatum is an ideal player for high stakes games such as the Olympic tournament.
No player in the NBA this decade (2020 to the present) has more points scored, 3-pointers, free throws or wins in the playoffs than Tatum. He's also an NBA champion and has been voted first team All-NBA each of the last three seasons.
When Team USA won gold against France at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Tatum scored 19 points in 21 minutes off the bench.
The United States will again play France on Saturday with the gold medal at stake. Tatum deserves to play a meaningful role in that matchup, but given his usage in Paris so far, it's fair to wonder if head coach Steve Kerr will put him in the game at all.
