Boston Celtics fans are still upset with Steve Kerr over Jayson Tatum’s Olympics “snub.”
Fans at TD Garden ripped Kerr with a loud chorus of boos ahead of their matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Kerr just waved back.
The hatred toward Kerr, the head coach of the men’s national team, stems from the Olympics this past summer. Tatum played a very limited role in Team USA’s gold medal run in Paris. Tatum came off the bench and played just 11 minutes in the championship game, which secured a fifth straight gold medal for the Americans. He didn’t play in either of Team USA’s games against Serbia, either.
The decision wasn’t a personal one toward Tatum, and several other stars had their moments when they didn’t play much at the Olympics. Joel Embiid, for example, didn’t play against South Sudan at all. Derrick White didn’t play in the gold medal game, either, and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton sat in three of the six games that Team USA played in Paris.
Still, Kerr was asked directly if he had any regrets over Tatum’s playing time at the Olympics on Wednesday night in Boston, which seemed to leave him a little puzzled.
“We’re just committed to winning, and we won the gold medal. So I didn’t give it a whole lot of thought, other than I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson against Serbia, not playing Joel against South Sudan. Those are not fun decisions, but our guys were all amazing. They committed to each other, they committed to winning the gold medal. They brought the gold home for their country … That’s the real story.”
“Do I have any regrets? … We won the gold medal, so I don’t give it a whole lot of thought… I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson”
Steve Kerr on if he had any regrets benching Jayson Tatum in the Olympics pic.twitter.com/y6VHfYhIwa
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 7, 2024
By Kerr’s logic, and the very clear results that Team USA came home with, it’s hard to argue with his game plans at the Olympics — even if Celtics fans are still upset by it.
Tatum admitted after the Olympics that taking a back seat in the Games was a hard thing for him to handle, but he wasn’t going to let that impact his decision about the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
“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 off how this experience was or how I felt individually.”
Tatum entered Wednesday’s game averaging 30 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season, his eighth in the league. He signed a five-year supermax extension shortly after leading the team to an NBA title earlier this year, too, which set a record for the richest contract in league history. He inked a five-year deal worth an estimated $315 million.
The Celtics entered Wednesday’s game with a 7-1 record and on a three-game win streak. They’ll host the Brooklyn Nets next on Friday.