Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix details his discussion with Jayson Tatum and his desire to become an all-time great for the Celtics.
The United States is still on top of the basketball world.
Team USA defeated France 98-87 in the gold medal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday. The U.S. has now won five consecutive gold medals in Olympic men's basketball. They've also beaten France in each of the last two gold medal games.
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The United States was leading most of the game but Stephen Curry finished off France with a historic 3-point barrage late in the fourth quarter. The Golden State Warriors guard hit four 3-pointers in the final 2:47 of action. Curry led Team USA with 24 points.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and guard Jrue Holiday have each won their second Olympic gold medal. Both of them were on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (played in 2021 due to COVID) squad that won gold. C's guard Derrick White has won Olympic gold for the first time.
The three Celtics players also made some history. Tatum and White have become just the seventh and eighth players ever to win an Olympic gold medal and an NBA title in the same year. Holiday already achieved that feat in 2021, and with his second gold medal he joins Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen as the only players to win both in the same season on two separate occasions. Pippen did it in 1992 and 1996.
Former Celtics forward and 2016 first-round pick Guerschon Yabusele scored 20 points for France. The most he ever scored in a game for Boston was 16. Yabusele even had a highlight-reel dunk on LeBron James.
Here's an in-depth breakdown of how the three Celtics players fared in the gold medal game.
Jayson Tatum
Final stat line: 11 minutes, two points (1-for-3 FG, 0-for-1 3PT, 0-for-0 FT), three rebounds, one steal, -5 plus-minus
After not playing against Serbia in the semifinals, Tatum checked in for the first time with 4:11 remaining in the opening quarter.
He made an immediate impact at both ends of the floor. He threw down a dunk on a fast break, and later in the period he played very good 1-on-1 defense against 7-foot-4 France star Victor Wembanyama. Tatum was able to defend Wembanyama without a double team, which really helped Team USA guard the 3-point line.
Tatum's second stint started with four minutes left in the third quarter. He tallied one rebound and didn't attempt a shot for the rest of the quarter. Tatum could have had an open 3-pointer on Team USA's final possession of the third frame, but Anthony Edwards instead threw a bad pass to Kevin Durant, which was intercepted and led to a France layup.
Tatum didn't come back onto the court to begin the fourth quarter and didn't get any more playing time.
Jrue Holiday
Final stat line: 18 minutes, six points (2-for-5 FG, 2-for-4 3PT, 0-for-0 FT), four assists, one rebound, -8 plus-minus
Holiday started each of the last two games but came off the bench versus France as head coach Steve Kerr opted to put Kevin Durant in the starting lineup. The veteran point guard got his first action late in the first quarter.
Holiday hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half that put Team USA ahead 49-39. He finished the half with three points, two assists and one rebound.
Just like Tatum, Holiday came back into the game with four minutes left in the third quarter. He remained on the floor to start the fourth quarter and assisted a Kevin Durant 3-pointer that put Team USA up 77-68 with 8:32 left. Holiday hit a 3-pointer of his own with 7:02 on the clock that pushed the Americans' advantage to 80-69.
Holiday exited 4:15 left in the fourth, then returned with 1:18 remaining as Team USA was protecting a 93-84 lead.
Derrick White
Final stat line: Did not play
The gold medal game was the first matchup of the Olympics that White didn't play in. He got at least seven minutes of action in each of the first five games of the tournament. White and Tyrese Haliburton were the only Team USA players who didn't see the floor Saturday.
Tatum essentially got the minutes that White played versus Serbia in the semifinals.
