2024-08-11 12:50:02
Photo By Manu Reino/Europa Press via Getty Images
It was a frustrating Olympics for Jayson Tatum despite winning a gold medal, as the Boston Celtics star had to watch much of the past five games from the bench.
But despite Team USA coach Steve Kerr limiting Tatum’s role in the Olympics, he said his decision on whether he will play in the 2028 Games won’t be one he makes based on how this year went.
“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” Tatum said, per ESPN”s Brian Windhorst. “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 off how this experience was or how I felt individually.”
Tatum, who joined Team USA fresh off an NBA championship run with the Celtics, didn’t play in two of the United States’ six Olympic games. Kerr left him on the bench during Thursday’s semifinal against Serbia despite Team USA’s struggling to defend the perimeter, which Tatum excels at.
He played 11 minutes in Saturday’s final against France, scoring two points and grabbing three boards.
Tatum spoke candidly about his second Olympic experience. According to Windhorst, he mentioned several times that he was happy to have won another gold medal and “didn’t want his situation to take away from the team’s success.”
He also expressed that this year’s Olympic run was a learning experience.
“A lot of people text me and reached out and said ‘make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate. There’s a lot of people that care about me,” Tatum said. “I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human.
“…Part of being in the moment, I’ve sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or [whenever] the season is, but like I said, it’s something I’m going to take away from this and learn and from this experience. It’s definitely challenging and humbling at the same time.”
At just 26 years old, it seems unlikely that Paris will be his last time suiting up for Team USA. He didn’t get the chance to shine the way he would have liked this year, but if his positive trajectory continues, he could be the one leading the United States to gold in 2028.
