Despite guiding the men’s basketball team to a fifth straight gold medal at the Olympics, coach Steve Kerr came under fire for his treatment of Jayson Tatum. From a Celtics legend to rapper Vinne Staples to Tatum’s mother, all chimed in on the NBA Champion’s reduced play time in Paris. The decision was baffling because of how effective he had been in Boston’s run to the championship only a month before the Games.
Even though the Paris Olympics are long over, the Tatum Snub is still a lingering topic of discussion. The small forward only featured for a total of 71 minutes in Paris, the second-fewest number in the team. While Kerr did rotate his team at various stages, Tatum usually missed out. Though Tatum himself was graceful for the most part about the situation, many in the NBA community weren’t happy. Former Celtics guard Evan Turner was the latest to hit out Kerr.
Evan Turner didn’t mince words on the Club 520 podcast, on Thursday, letting his frustration out in the open. “I felt like he was targeted, bro. There’s something deeper going on. I felt like it was something deeper than just rotations,” Turner said, hinting at some possible bias or hidden agenda behind Tatum’s limited playing time. “How you gonna tell me I can’t hoop and then give me 11 minutes?” Turner like many others was baffled by what he sees as disrespect to a player of Tatum’s caliber.
Turner didn’t stop there though, going so far as to suggest that Kerr’s future with Team USA was shaky even before the gold was secured. “Steve uh… he quit before they fired him. They said it was his last Olympics,” Turner said. Back in November last year, Kerr had told Athletic that he wouldn’t return as Team USA’s coach beyond the Olympics. And despite securing a gold medal, it looks like he will be stepping down from his role according to multiple reports.
In Paris, when Kerr faced questions over his exclusion of Tatum, the Warriors HC said the decision was based on what was in front of him. “It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson. It’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” he said. Kerr further described it as “just a math problem more than anything.”
Accommodating Tatum in the lineup would have been a difficult task for any coach, given the star-studded names, who had performed well during the NBA season. But Tatum’s own performances merited at least more than the 71 minutes he got to play in the USA’s run to Olympic gold. His playing time didn’t even cross the Top 50 mark when compared to all the players who participated in the tournament.
Tatum averaged 26.9 points, seventh highest in the league while averaging 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists as the Celtics ended their 16-season championship drought. On the other hand, in Paris, he could only muster an average of 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. When asked about the situation after the Olympics, Tatum told the Boston Globe, “You feel like you deserve to play and the competitor in you wants to play. And (Steve Kerr) is the coach for a reason. He makes those decisions.” Yet when rapper Vince Staples tweeted, “WE WILL AVENGE JAYSON TATUM” on August 11, Tatum shared the tweet on his Instagram, suggesting he wasn’t happy about how things went down.
Tatum was benched for two of the USA’s six games and didn’t start the team’s campaign opener against Serbia. He also missed out on the semifinal against the same opponent. Overall the player only averaged 17.7 minutes. This didn’t sit well with Celtics legend Bob Cousy, who told the Boston Globe that Tatum being benched was more than “just a snub.” He added, “This is an embarrassment for that poor kid all over the [expletive] world. The Olympics have gotten that big. Everyone’s going to think that there’s something wrong this this kid.”
Former college head coach and basketball sportscaster, Dick Vitale wasn’t happy either with how Tatum, a four-time All-NBA selection was treated. He tweeted, “Someone pls let me know is @jaytatum0 injured as he hasn’t received the PT ( playing time ) u would expect an All NBAplayer to get.” Tatum’s mother Brandy Cole, responded to the tweet and wrote, “No he not. But if you find out what’s going on please let me know – unacceptable and makes NO SENSE.”
The Celtics star’s experience in Paris did leave a bitter taste in his mouth about international basketball, but he left the door open for a return to the team at LA 2028.
Meanwhile, it’s not just Kerr feeling the heat. “Grant Hill on his way out, too,” one of the hosts added, pointing out that the managing director of the USA men’s basketball team isn’t out of the woods as well. Both men have been criticized for their decisions throughout the tournament, and while it’s easy to sit back and judge, the pressure on them was enormous. Running a team packed with such star power and talent was never going to be easy and as human as they are, Kerr and Hill are caught in the crossfire.
While Tatum’s snub caught many by surprise, the decision not to include his teammate and NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, Damien Lillard, and Kyrie Irving in the Olympics squad at all, was also surprising.
“He’s outta pocket,” DJ Wells said about Grant Hill
Even though Grant Hill helped Team USA snag the gold, he’s catching heat for some of his choices with the squad in the Paris Olympics 2024. Evan Turner called out a major issue: the decision to include Tyrese Haliburton while leaving out Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard of the Bucks.
“Yeah, the fact like for instance they did not have like Dame on team USA, shoutout to Haliburton but like they did not have Kyrie, come on my G like two little cold dudes,” Turner said. This criticism highlights how puzzling it was to leave out two top-tier players despite their undeniable skills.
DJ Wells also chimed in, saying, “Hey when he[Grant Hill] said we might consider Jaylen Brown for 2028, I said oh, he is outta pocket,”. Given Jaylen Brown’s stellar season as an NBA champ and Finals MVP, his exclusion raised questions. With a place on the LA2028 team on offer, it will be interesting to see if Brown joins his Celtics teammate Tatum at the Games in four years time.
So, it seems the Steve Kerr-Jayson Tatum saga has refused to die down despite the Paris Olympics in the rearview and a gold medal secured. The person slated to succeed Kerr as the next USA men’s basketball HC will have a lot to do in order to keep everyone happy.
