Even as Team USA walked away with a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics, the debate around Jayson Tatum‘s play time hasn’t ended. From Bob Cousy to Dick Vitale and even Tatum’s mother, everyone questioned Steve Kerr’s approach. After all, Tatum was just fresh out of an NBA championship win. American rapper Vince Staples also showed his support for the Celtics star and it seems like Tatum wasn’t too happy with his treatment in Paris as he showed his displeasure on Instagram.

In the six games that the Team USA squad played at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jayson Tatum was benched for two of them. He didn’t start Team USA’s campaign opener against Serbia and missed out on the semifinal against the same opponent. Even in the games he appeared, the player only averaged 17.7 minutes. In comparison, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, the two leading scorers, averaged 24.5 and 23.3 minutes, respectively.

Tatum’s playing time didn’t even cross the Top 50 mark when compared to all the players who participated in the tournament. This treatment of a player who made it to the All-NBA First Team in the last three seasons hasn’t gone down well.

The 26-year-old took to his official Instagram account, resharing a tweet on his story from Vince Staples. Having watched Team USA’s Gold Medal Olympic run and how the 2024 NBA champion mostly occupied the bench, Staples tweeted “WE WILL AVENGE JAYSON TATUM” on Sunday. By highlighting the message to his 8 million+ follower base, the player is not hiding his true feelings anymore. Earlier on August 9, Kerr defended his decision to bench Tatum for the most part.

“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson. It’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” the Golden State Warriors Head Coach said. Prioritizing 12 players in a 5-man team, when all 12 of them performed exceptionally during the recent NBA season, is no easy task. Tatum may have accepted this fact, but he still wasn’t happy about it.

Tatum played for a total of 71 minutes in Paris, the second-fewest number in the team. Kerr did rotate his team but Tatum often found himself looking in from the outside. Tatum averaged 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists during the Olympics, numbers not befitting of someone who drove the Boston Celtics to end a 16-season championship drought. As it turns out, Vince Staples isn’t the only known figure who was not pleased with Steve Kerr’s apparent treatment of the player.

Celtics legend Bob Cousy told the Boston Globe that Tatum being benched wasn’t “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 was also baffled with Kerr’s tactics. 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.”

Last season for the Celtics, Tatum averaged 26.9 points, seventh highest in the league. He also averaged 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists during the franchise’s march to the championship.

Former Milwaukee Bucks point guard and 2021 NBA champion Jeff Teague stated that Jayson Tatum being benched will have long-term consequences, as the player’s reputation in the domestic league may not remain the same while Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck held the belief that, to him, Steve Kerr’s decision-making regarding his player is a “mystery.”

Jayson Tatum may go on to hold some resentment at the moment. Will it mean his future with Team USA, especially at the 2028 LA Olympics is in doubt?

Jayson Tatum provides an update 2028 LA Olympics plans

The next Olympics will be prominent for the Team USA squad. After all, it will be taking place on their home turf, right in the vibrant city of Los Angeles. While three big players from the 2024 squad- LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant- may not look to return due to them being in their 40s, other young athletes like Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton are highly expected to shine. While Tatum was not happy with how things panned out in Paris, he has chosen to not rule out the 2028 LA Olympics for now.

“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decisions off emotions,” Tatum said as reported by Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.  Opening up on his LA 2028 ambitions, he added, “If you asked me right now if I’m going to play in 2028, it’s four years from now. I’d have to take time and think about that. So I’m not going to make any decision based on how this experience was, or how I feel individually.” 

Tatum also expressed his disappointment earlier at not being used enough during the Games while mentioning he has had support. “A lot of people text me and reached out and said ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate. There’s a lot of people that care about me,” Tatum said. “I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human,” he said.

Tatum’s situation has taken some shine off USA’s gold medal triumph, even when the Celtics star called for it not to take away from the team’s success. By winning the gold, Kerr’s selection and tactics were justified, but for Tatum, Paris may not be a highly memorable outing from an individual point of view. He will look to answer many questions when the new NBA season tips off and lay down a marker with the LA 2028 in sight.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.