Jayson Tatum has had a memorable offseason as a basketball player. He won his first NBA championship with the Boston Celtics , defeating the Dallas Mavericks, and then he went to the Paris Olympics and won his second gold medal. Despite the backlash that came with him in the Olympics and barely playing, he handled everything like a pro and played the role that he was given.

Tatum isn’t just getting love from people in Boston and the United States, but he’s also getting large ovations from people in Shanghai. The Boston Celtics forward was seen in Shanghai representing the Jordan Brand, and as he was walking through the crowd, they chanted “MVP” at him.

Tatum, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Paolo Banchero are currently on a trip to Beijing and Shanghai, visiting different places and interacting with fans. For Tatum, it may look like he’s on a celebration tour after everything that he’s accomplished in the past few months.
Jayson Tatum opens up about Olympics experience 

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) celebrates after beating the Dallas Mavericks in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship at TD Garden. Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Even though Jayson Tatum won a gold medal, it came with a lot of people wondering if he would participate in the next one in 2028. Tatum was a DNP in several games during the tournament, and many questioned Steve Kerr’s decision to do that. After the Olympics, Tatum opened up about his experience with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.

“It was tough. In today’s world of social media, you can’t escape the opinions,” Tatum said. “You see all the tweets, hear the podcasts, and watch the TV segments debating whether it was a good or bad decision. Of course, I wanted to contribute more, but I’ve never been in a situation like this before.

“I didn’t make a jump shot during my time with Team USA. It’s strange—the rhythm is different. You never quite know when you’ll get the ball. But that’s part of the experience; you sign up for that. I’ve been through it before, like in Tokyo.”

With players such as Kevin Durant and LeBron James taking up most of the minutes at the forward spot, there was a chance that Tatum wasn’t going to get many minutes, and when 2028 comes around, that should be a different story. James has already mentioned that this was his last Olympics, and it’s not certain what Durant will do, but he’ll definitely be older.

Despite how many minutes he played, Tatum still has his head high and is proud of everything that he’s done in his career so far.

I have two gold medals now, a championship, and I’ve realized that things don’t always go as planned,” Tatum said. “I’ve learned to accept that and move on. Now, I’m going to enjoy the last few weeks before the season starts and get ready for another year.”