With their triumph in the Olympics in Paris, Team USA brought home a second gold medal. But there were difficulties along the way, chief coach Steve Kerr foremost among them. Kerr had to make the difficult decision of who would start each game with a roster full of talented players. Jayson Tatum‘s restricted playing time was one of the most contentious choices. Tatum’s mother called Tatum out for the move, which also received condemnation from fans.
Tatum paused following his gold medal victory to consider his Olympic experience in Paris. He said that even though it was a difficult experience, it wouldn’t serve as the foundation for any choices made in the future. Tatum said,
“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” “If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028—it is four years from now, and I [would have] to take time and think about that. So I’m not going to make any decision based on how this experience was or how I felt individually,”
Jayson Tatum’s Minimal Participation in the Paris Olympics Draws Attention
Jayson Tatum’s Olympic experience in Paris was marred by a number of surprising choices made by Team USA head coach Steve Kerr. Tatum missed two of Team USA’s six games, the first being the Olympic opener against Serbia and the second meeting with the same team in the semifinals.
Tatum’s first benching for the first game was a mistake, which Kerr admitted, calling it a stupid move. In spite of Tatum’s admission, Kerr made the same decision in the semifinal match, preventing Tatum from playing.
Tatum did, however, get to participate in the gold medal match versus France.
