Though Jayson Tatum‘s summer was filled with excitement—he won his first NBA title and an Olympic gold medal with the United States—he hasn’t had the best conversations with himself. His Olympic difficulties cast doubt on his playing ability, a point that Gil’s Arena staff members further emphasized.
Tatum didn’t play much when the United States was competing in the Olympics in Paris, which led to a bad media narrative. Brandon Jennings, a former guard with the Knicks and co-host of the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, was harsh on Tatum. Jennings stated:
“Jayson Tatum, he might be cooked. The reason he feel like that is cause he didn’t get Eastern Conference Finals or Finals MVP, and his running mate is better than him. He’s probably feeling doubt like maybe I’m not that good.”
Jennings went on to say that even though Tatum’s team had a great deal of success this summer, the fact that he didn’t receive any individual recognition made him feel resentful. The truth is that Jaylen Brown has surpassed Tatum as the team’s cornerstone, despite the Celtics’ treatment of him as such, according to Jennings.
Following his Olympic experience, Tatum shared a comment that sparked conversation among the “Gil’s Arena” podcast crew members about this subject.
Jayson Tatum got honest about his 2024 Olympics experience winning Gold & the criticism he received:
“It was a lot. In the age of social media, you see everything. You see all the tweets and the people on the podcasts and people on TV giving their opinion on whether they… pic.twitter.com/kjVSugEMtC
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) August 29, 2024
After his incredible rookie season, which included forcing LeBron James into seven games during the Eastern Conference Finals, the former Duke product has been in the spotlight. He experienced a great deal of success prior to winning the championship, yet it somehow hurt his career.
While a large number of NBA fans on social media concur with Jennings’ assertion, not all of his co-hosts shared his audacious viewpoint. Tatum received praise from Gilbert Arenas for his sacrifices made at the Olympics. Arenas stated:
“You say that everyone has to sacrifice for the greater good of whatever we’re trying to go for. Someone has to sacrifice. If he’s the sacrificial lamb, then why is his legacy even up for debate?… They won a gold, why are we still talking about legacies?”
After a team wins a championship, the stories usually revolve around whether or not they can win it again. But the star player for the Celtics is entering the season with a grudge, which may be disastrous for the other teams in the league.