Even as the Boston Celtics continue to steady themselves without Jayson Tatum during his Achilles recovery, the All-NBA forward is still processing one of the most confusing stretches of his career: the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“To be honest, that was tough because this is my second time in the Olympics, and you know we went in 2021, we were in Tokyo, and my experience was totally different,” Tatum said recently appearing on The Pivot Podcast. “I was the second leading scorer behind KD, and we beat France; we ended up winning a gold medal.
“So, you know, in 2024, I was first-team All-NBA. Came off a championship. I was on the cover of 2K. Like, I was on top of the world. I just signed the largest contract in NBA history. So, I was riding this cloud. And then I get to the Olympics, and it didn’t go how I wanted it.
“Being first team All-NBA was, I mean, it’s four other guys in the world and me, and at that time, the four other guys were all European. So it was like I was the only American, and then you get to the Olympics, and it’s like I didn’t play in two of the games.
“But the toughest part was like everybody was like, ‘Yo, like I can’t wait till you play the Warriors… when you see Steve K again. And it was like, ‘Yeah, but what about how I’m feeling right now?’ Like, f**k what’s going to happen in the future.”
Still, he never confronted Kerr directly.
“I always bring it back. Like my mom did such a good job of raising me… I’m not going to rock the boat. I’m always going to be a professional,” Tatum said. “We’re here to win a gold medal.”
Kerr later admitted during the tournament that he “felt like an idiot” for not playing Tatum more, a sentiment that has only added to the lingering mystery around the decision.
While teammate Tyrese Haliburton has since moved on, Tatum made it clear the experience remains unresolved, not because of the result, but because he “couldn’t process” why it unfolded the way it did.
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