Jayson Tatum Talks Olympic Benching: ‘It Was Different And Challenging’

August 29, 2024

Boston Celtics wing Jayson Tatum just played a major role in helping his team win the championship and was a league MVP candidate. Then came the Olympics, with a star-studded Team USA.

Tatum and his teammates won the gold, but along the way, Tatum rode the bench a couple of times. The basketball world didn’t seem to understand how Tatum could not play — at all. Or even play only minimally

Coach Steve Kerr admitted it was a minutes issue. With the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards and others on the team, somebody would have to sit. There are just so many minutes in a game.

But Tatum handled it with dignity — despite the firestorm on social media.

“It’s one of those things where there’s been so much talk and debate,” Tatum told Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “There was a period of is he a superstar or not? Then it was a big debate, like, is he championship ready now? Then it’s like how could he not get in the (Olympics)? I’m like, I just won a championship, it’s the summertime, it might be nice to have a little break where you don’t turn on ESPN and they’re talking about you. But I guess this is part of it, and that may be the level that I’ve reached now in my career.”

Without a doubt, any basketball player wants to play. That’s especially the case with an NBA All-Star and champion. But this wasn’t an All-Star team. It was a team consisting of guys who had to fit and win. For Tatum, it took some adjustment.

“It was a lot. In the age of social media, you see everything,” he told Weiss. “You see all the tweets and the people on the podcasts and people on TV giving their opinion on whether they thought it was a good decision or it was an outrageous decision or whatever. Obviously, I wanted to contribute more, and I’ve never been in (this) situation. I started playing basketball at (age) 3 at the YMCA, and I’ve never not played, so it was different and it was challenging.”