Jayson Tatum wishes he would have played more minutes during Team USA's gold medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics but still cherished the opportunity to compete against the world's best players.
The Boston Celtics star was benched for two of Team USA's six Olympic contests while playing sparingly in others, which resulted in Team USA and Warriors coach Steve Kerr receiving plenty of backlash for his lineup rotations.
Celtics fans in particular were very upset with Kerr over Tatum's usage, and in speaking to reporters after Team USA's 98-87 win over France on Saturday at Bercy Arena, Tatum admitted his lack of playing time was a tough pill to swallow but maintained a humble approach as he stayed ready for his next opportunity.
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“It was challenging,” Tatum said. “I can’t lie. It was challenging. Especially after the experience of the highest of the highest winning a championship, and then put in a new situation where you’ve never been in that spot before. But you know, I didn’t want to make it about me. I got a chance to come to work with 11 other guys I got nothing but love and respect for. And you know, we won. I’m happy about that.” (h/t The Boston Globe's Tara Sullivan)
"I just stayed a professional. I came to work every day. Just stay ready. We got great guys on this team and while you feel like you deserve to play and the competitor in you wants to play, as a coach for a reason he makes those decisions. Your job as a player is to stay ready whenever your number is called.”
While Tatum kept relatively quiet about his usage throughout the Olympics, the Celtics star did take to social media on Sunday after the tournament to share a post from rapper Vince Staples to his Instagram story seemingly referencing the controversy.
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Tatum also heard from concerned friends and family who reached out to him about his lack of playing time.
“I mean, a lot of people texted me and reached out and were like, ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate,” Tatum added. “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.
“So, you know, in the moment it is tough, so I’m not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or whatever 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. I had fun. I did. It was a great team of guys to be around, we went to some great cities and different countries, and we won the gold medal.”
Tatum arguably had the best year of his career in 2024 both on and off the court. After winning a championship with the Celtics in June, Tatum signed a historic five-year, $315 million contract extension with Boston in early July before he was announced as the cover athlete of "NBA 2K25" just a few days later.
He capped off his memorable summer with his second career Olympic gold medal ... one that he wishes he could have contributed more toward winning.