Jayson Tatum: Team USA basketball star will not let challenging’ Paris 2024 experience influence LA 2028 decision
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Published 11/08/2024 at 19:09 GMT+1
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has spoken out about his lack of game time at Paris 2024. Team USA clinched their fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics, with Tatum playing just 11 minutes of their men's final victory over France. Tatum called the experience "tough" and "humbling" but said that he will let emotions fade away before making a definitive decision on his LA 2028 involvement.
Watch as Curry sinks unbelievable three-pointer and goes wild as USA seal gold
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Team USA basketball star Jayson Tatum has denied that limited game time at Paris 2024 will influence his decision to compete at Los Angeles 2028.
Coach Steve Kerr decided to rest Tatum for two of six games, both against Serbia, and gave the 26-year-old just 11 minutes in the US’s victorious gold medal match against hosts France.
The Boston Celtics forward admitted that it was “tough” to spend so long watching on, but wanted to let emotions die down before giving a concrete answer.
"It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I'm not going to make any decision off emotions," Tatum told reporters.
"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."
But Tatum was not the only star to find himself on the sidelines for extended periods, as Derrick White played no part in the final and Tyrese Haliburton failed to see action in three matches.
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The five-time NBA All-Star, who was also part of the Team US squad that won gold at Tokyo 2020, revealed that he had received messages from loved ones, telling him to use the experience as motivation.
Tatum said: "A lot of people text me and reached out and said, 'Make sure this fuels you,' which I appreciate. There's a lot of people that care about me.
"I think the tough part is, yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I'm still human.
“I've sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment it is tough.
“You're not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or [whenever] the season is, but like I said, it's something I'm going to take away from this and learn from this experience.
“It's definitely challenging and humbling at the same time."
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer.
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