Boston Celtics fans are still upset with Steve Kerr for Jayson Tatum’s Olympics “snub”.
Fans at TD Garden tore into Kerr with a loud chorus of boos before their 118-112 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Kerr just waved back.
The vitriol toward Kerr, the head coach of the men’s national team, dates back to 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 also did not play in any of Team USA’s games against Serbia.
The decision wasn’t personal to Tatum, and several other stars had their moments when they didn’t play much at the Olympics. Joel Embiid, for example, did not play at all against South Sudan. Derrick White also did not play in the gold medal game, and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton sat out three of the six games Team USA played in Paris.
However, Kerr was asked directly if he had any regrets about Tatum’s playing time at the Olympics on Wednesday night in Boston, which seemed to leave him a little perplexed.
“We are only committed to victory, and we won the gold medal. So I didn’t think much about it, except I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson against Serbia, not playing Joel against South Sudan. Those aren’t fun decisions, but our kids have all been 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 think too much about it … I didn’t enjoy not playing Jayson”
Steve Kerr on whether he’ll regret Jayson Tatum being benched in the Olympics pic.twitter.com/y6VHfYhIwa
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) 7 November 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 about it.
Tatum admitted after the Olympics that taking a back seat in the Games was a difficult thing for him to handle, but he won’t let it affect his decision about the upcoming Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision on emotions,” Tatum said. “If you asked me now if I’m going to play in 2028 – it’s four years from now and I am [would have] take time and think about it. So I’m not going to make any decision based on 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 as well, which set a record for the richest contract in league history. He inked a five-year deal worth an estimated $315 million.
The Warriors, thanks to a 27-point outing from Stephen Curry, continued the stretch to capture the Xsix-point victory on Wednesday. Curry also had nine assists and seven rebounds, and shot 4-of-9 from behind the arc. Andrew Wiggins added 16 points, and was the only other Warriors starter to hit double figures. The win pushed Golden State to 7-1 on the season.
Tatum led the Celtics with 32 points and four rebounds, and he went 5-of-10 from behind the arc. White added 26 points, and Neemias Queta finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Celtics. They now sit at 7-2 on the season.
