Story by
"He wasn't really suited for that role" - Steve Kerr stands by benching Jayson Tatum at Paris Olympics
- Story by
- "He wasn't really suited for that role" - Steve Kerr stands by benching Jayson Tatum at Paris Olympics
The U.S. men's basketball team returned from the Paris Olympics with gold medals around their necks. But that wasn't the big basketball news from France. It was Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum who received two DNPs in the tournament.
In real time, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr merely called the Tatum issue a 'math problem.' Nearly two years later, he still defends his decision not to play Tatum in both games against Serbia.
Advertisement
"We had LeBron James and Kevin Durant ahead of him. Both guys had incredible FIBA experience. They’re two of the greatest players of all time. Jayson happened to be playing the same position as them. If I had just said, ‘I'm going to play the best five guys’ or whatever, then, yeah, Jayson’s probably out there. But you’re trying to put together a team,” he said.
Celtics role players got more minutes
That year, Tatum led the Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship. While Jaylen Brown won Eastern Conference and NBA Finals MVP honors, Tatum led the team in points, rebounds and assists in the championship series.
Advertisement
Tatum was also named to his third straight All-NBA First Team as the only American, so you could argue he was the best American basketball player in the league. Still, Kerr couldn’t find a way to get him minutes.
To add more insult to injury, Tatum's Celtics teammates, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White , played in both games and, overall, had more usage than the superstar forward.
Kerr defended that decision as well.
"Ironically, the guys I played ahead of him were also Boston Celtics: Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. We needed guys who were on-ball defenders, facilitators, who would make Steph, LeBron and Kevin better. Jayson wasn’t really suited for that role as well as those other guys. And that’s the whole point of USA Basketball: take twelve of the best players on earth and try to make it work," he said.
Advertisement
It was hard for Tatum
While Kerr was unapologetic, Tatum did not understand why he could not find a way to give him even just a minute of playing time. He argued that it was his second time on Team USA, and the first time out, he was the second-leading scorer behind Durant. He also talked about having a big year in 2024.
“So you know, this year, in 2024, I was First Team All-NBA, came off a championship, and I was on the cover of 2K. Like I was as high as…I was on top of the world. I just signed the largest contract in NBA history. So I was riding this cloud. And then I get to the Olympics, and it didn’t go how I wanted it…It was hard to process, and that was the toughest part,” Tatum said
Advertisement
At 28, Tatum will still be in his prime when the Summer Games come to Los Angeles in 2028. With James, Curry and Durant not expected to wear the Stars and Stripes again, USA Basketball may need Tatum to be one of the team's leaders. But that's if he still wants to be a part of the team again. He has said he won't make that decision very early, but the fact that Kerr is no longer the team's head coach could work in USA Basketball’s favor.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the International section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
