“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” Steve Kerr, Team USA’s HC, explained about benching Jayson Tatum at the 2024 Paris Olympics. People guessed that it was bound to happen with names like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid on the roster. Still, it was a bit said for Tatum and even if the basketball player forgot all about it, there is one person who won’t.

JT’s advocates felt it was quite unfair to bench a star who was fresh off a championship campaign and made it to the All-NBA First Team three years in a row. One such person is Stephen A. Smith.

In the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, featuring Ronnie Singh A. K. A Ronnie 2K, Smith went on a ranting spree. Though he admitted Kerr was a great coach, he also stated, “I think he was the only one that shouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the gold medal.” 

“I think what did to Jason Tatum was egregious. To sit up there and say that ‘I couldn’t tell him before the game, I don’t know if I can find time for you’. If I was Jason Tatum, I’d never want to see the man again unless I was going against his team and I’d be ready to kick a*s.”

Here’s the thing. Kerr understands his mistake. When Tatum was benched for Team USA’s first game against Serbia in the group stage, the HC later on shared how he felt like an idiot. After all, Team USA could have put to use his switchability and perimeter defense against Serbia. In the end, the player didn’t say much about his benching. All that mattered was that Team USA won.

So we can understand Smith’s anger when he next stated, “When they go up against Golden State, next season, I hope he drops 60 on Steve Kerr. I really, really do.” But what did Tatum have to say about getting benched?

Did the Paris Olympics benching bother Jayson Tatum?

Jayson Tatum has been playing basketball since he was a toddler. That’s all he knows. So suddenly, not playing was something very new; Especially in a situation like the Olympics, where he really wanted to contribute. Plus, there was so much coverage about his benching and whether it was a good decision or not. It took a lot for him to cancel the outside noise.

Now in line with Stephen A. Smith, Ronnie Singh is of the opinion that Tatum will respond to his benching. “I think he’s gonna respond. I think he’s gonna have a monster season,” Singh predicted.

Speaking of the Olympics snub before Smith went on an angry rant, Singh has stated, “Unbelievable the guy just won a championship, you know, he’s ready to play for his country. He could have just taken the summer off like and just rode the SI cover the 2K cover and had a great summer with Deuce.”

It’s certainly something that Tatum would have also considered. But like he already shared, he wanted to contribute. He didn’t mope around and patiently waited for his chance. He played 11 minutes for the gold medal game against France, which Team USA won 98-87. So the athlete looked at the bright side because, at the end of the day, he still got a gold medal.

What do you make of Steve Kerr’s decision? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.