After winning the NBA championship last season, Jayson Tatum had a humbling experience while in Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
Steve Kerr benched the three-time All-NBA First-Team selection for Team USA’s opening game against Serbia. Despite receiving significant criticism for his decision, Kerr doubled down by benching Tatum in the semifinals, once again against the Serbian national team.
When speaking on a recent episode of his “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony and The Kid Mero” podcast, Antony praised Tatum for his handling the situation.
“This is somebody who we done cheered for,” Anthony said. “This man has one of the best resumes over the four or five years out of any player in any sport, right? What he went through, I want everybody to see that s—. That s— hurt to go through that on national, and the world [stage]. So I literally take my hat off to him because he was resilient. He stood there and the world knows…That’s a different energy, that’s a different focus and a different understanding of what’s happening.”
Tatum had teamed up with the United States after helping them to a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. During that run, he was the second-best player on the team behind Kevin Durant and was widely dubbed as the future of the U.S. National Team.
Therefore, Kerr’s decision left many perplexed. Tatum is one of the most complete players in the world. He’s an elite playmaker at his position, a high-level rebounder and a solid help defender. Yet, his scoring struggles felt like the only thing he was being judged on.
Nevertheless, Tatum secured his second gold medal and will head back to Boston ready to challenge for back-to-back championships. The only question is whether Tatum’s experience at the 2024 Olympics will impact his participation with Team USA going forward.
Regardless of whether Tatum competes in 2028, Anthony is right. Tatum handled the situation with class and professionalism. Those traits have allowed him to become one of the best players in the world. Celtics fans will be hoping he reminds everyone else once the new season begins.
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