With Jayson Tatum winning his first NBA Championship, the last month or so has been nothing less than a dream come true for the Celtics superstar. But he was woken up to the reality of Team USA’s head coach Steve Kerr deciding to bench him for the entire Serbia game, in what could’ve been his debut in the Olympics. Never having faced such tactical treatment before, Tatum was humbled by the experience. However, media veteran Doug Gottlieb wasn’t buying JT’s comments and made a massive accusation against him.

After being forced to sit out against Serbia, Jayson Tatum was directly upgraded to the starting lineup for the second game against South Sudan. But he couldn’t make an impact in the 17 minutes he got on the floor as he finished with only 4 points. However, the opportunity helped him open up about the Serbia snub, “You win a championship, new contract, NBA 2K25 cover, Sports Illustrated… so after all of this, it’s definitely a humbling experience.”

Addressing Tatum’s comments, the Fox veteran claimed that it seemed a bit braggy, “It’s not humbling. You’ve not been humbled because then you read off some sort of resume like any of us give a cr*p.” Moreover, Doug believes that Tatum’s reaction to Steve Kerr’s decision does not portray him in a good light. “I’m just gonna tell you right now how it reads to me. I’m sitting here as a coach and I’ll tell you Jayson Tatum seems like a colossal pain in the a**,” he initially ranted on The Doug Gottlieb Show.

That’s because rather than saying that winning a gold medal with Team USA is his top priority regardless of how many minutes he gets to play, Tatum felt the need to list out his recent accomplishments and indirectly flex to the world.

Jayson Tatum’s plain reaction to Jaylen Brown’s snub raises eyebrows

Standing by his point, Gottlieb also raised fingers at Tatum’s comments regarding his teammate Jaylen Brown getting overlooked for his Team USA selection. Obviously, he was referring to the time when the Celt tried to dodge any Brown-related questions during an interview, giving dull responses when asked about it, “I mean, there’s so many guys that could take that last spot or whatever.”

But Jaylen is not just any guy! Without him, Tatum might not have even had a Championship to brag about as Brown was by far the best Celtics player during the finals and even took home the Finals MVP trophy.

So, it would have been better if Tatum had given a more heartfelt response to defend or support his teammate. More importantly, the media veteran believes that JT’s game might not be fit for the FIBA setting, “There’s a world there where people start to understand what makes you a great NBA player doesn’t necessarily make you a great international player.”

Although Jayson Tatum is a superstar in Boston, he is surrounded by similar and better players in Team USA. And with the rule changes on the world stage, he has struggled to be as productive as he usually is.

So, there is a chance that he just might not be the right fit to play for Team USA. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.