Everyone was losing their mind when Steve Kerr decided to bench Jayson Tatum for the entire Olympic opener against Serbia. But that did not stop the U.S. head coach from pulling the same move in the semifinals again. The ex-duke was not in the starting line-up of Team USA, but not many raised eyebrows about it, as even Kevin Durant was coming off the bench. However, benching a player of Tatum’s caliber for two whole games? That definitely would not have sat well with him, right?

Well, Jayson Tatum is not hiding his feelings anymore, as he shared Vince Staples‘ tweet that called out Steve Kerr for making him sit on the bench for most of the Olympics. But before we dive deep into JT backing the public call out of Steve Kerr, let’s see what Richard Jefferson had to say about JT’s DNP.

Richard Jefferson was kicking back with Mark Jackson on his podcast Come And Talk 2 Me, where he was asked to put himself in Jayson Tatum’s shoes after the Celtics forward got those multiple DNPs in the 2024 Olympics. The ex-NBA champ talked about the tricky spot that players like Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton might have been in, as they had to handle those DNPs during the Olympics. “No, if I am Jayson Tatum..but he wasn’t the only one, was he? Tyrese Haliburton, did he play?” Jefferson asked. To that, the co-host responded, “He got a DNP as well.”

“See and that’s the most confusing thing about USA basketball, is that we want them to let go of all of their egos and be a team but then we are constantly pushing, well, what’s this going to do to your ego? You are an NBA champion and you are not getting to play and it’s like well, isn’t that what this was about?” Jefferson continued. “Isn’t this about like giving up of ourselves, coaches trynna to figure out the rotations if I am the odd man out, like, that’s the psyche thing that becomes so hard with USA basketball?”

Jefferson was of the opinion that while it must have been a tough pill to swallow for the players, who are used to being the main attraction in the NBA, they would have understood that it’s the mental adjustment they had to make, especially when Team USA had such a star-studded roster.

“And I saw the Germany game, he (Tatum) played okay, and look you can’t play everybody. KD’s coming in, it’s one of those things where it’s like and then you see KD go for what 22 in the first half, so it was like Jayson Tatum’s minutes and so I think it’s hard to fill a competitive team if you are trying to go equal playing time,” Jefferson further remarked. “And give all of the superstars 15-18 minutes because I don’t want to piss somebody off. Somebody’s gotta not play and somebody’s gotta do 25 minutes ’cause I need you in a rhythm when we are playing against Germany, Serbia, Canada like I need you guys locked in and then we have our backup unit.”

By shooting just over 38% percent from the field and missing all four of his three-point attempts, Tatum did not impress much, when he got his opportunity in the Olympics. Plus, with guys like Kevin Durant and Lebron James available to play in his position, can you really blame Kerr for keeping the forward on the bench? Maybe if he played a better game, it would have been a different story, but with these stats, it was difficult for the coach to find a place for Tatum in the starting line-up.

But wait! Before jumping to conclusions, let’s take a look at what Kerr himself had to say about benching Tatum.

Steve Kerr backs his decision

Even though Steve Kerr benched the 26-year-old for most of the tournament, resulting in his multiple DNPs, the coach made it clear that it was all about matchups and not Tatum’s form. “So it’s not about what Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin [Durant] has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything,” Kerr said.

But this explanation does not seem to cut it for the NBA champ. By re-sharing Vince Staples’ “WE WILL AVENGE JAYSON TATUM” on his Instagram story, Tatum has clearly shown he is not happy with Kerr’s decision during the Olympics.

With all this drama between Jayson Tatum and Steve Kerr, fans were worried that it might impact Tatum’s decision to play in the 2028 Olympics. But JT has clarified he won’t let his feelings mess with his choice. “It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” Tatum said. “If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028 — it is four years from now and I [would 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 felt individually.”

With players like Lebron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, likely done with the Olympics, Tatum is in line to get more chances to play for the USA, moving ahead. But do you think JT will represent the country in the LA Olympics in 2028? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.