Jayson Tatum opened up about Team USA head coach Steve Kerr’s decision to bench him for the whole game in the Olympic Basketball Tournament opener against Serbia. Kerr explained why it was such a tough decision to bench the Boston Celtics’ megastar, while Jayson Tatum called it a ‘unique situation’.
“It’s a unique situation, and it’s not about one individual player, competitor in you wants to play obviously, but I’m not here to make a story about myself. You win a championship, new contract, NBA 2K25 cover, Sports Illustrated… so after all of this, it’s definitely a humbling experience. We won; I was just glad to get back out there and play again, as there was a lot of chatter over the last few days,” Jayson Tatum said on Wednesday, via Basketnews.com.
Tatum eventually made his debut in the Paris Olympics Wednesday against South Sudan, where he spent 17 minutes on the floor and had four points and five rebounds, on 2/4 shooting. Team USA rallied past South Sudan (103-86) and advanced to the knockout stage of the Olympic Basketball Tournament.
The reigning NBA champion is playing in his second straight Olympic Basketball Tournament and won the gold medal in Tokyo back in 2021.
