With Jayson Tatum winning his first championship, the last month or so has been nothing less than a dream for the Celtics superstar. But he was woken up to reality when Team USA head coach Steve Kerr decided to bench him for the entire game against Serbia in the Paris Olympics opener. Never having faced such treatment before, Tatum was humbled by the experience. However, media veteran Doug Gottlieb wasn’t buying JT’s comments and put a massive accusation on him.
After being forced to sit out against Serbia, Tatum directly got upgraded to the starting lineup for the second game against South Sudan. But he couldn’t make an impact in the 17 minutes he got on the floor as he finished with only 4 points. However, the game helped him open up about the Serbia snub, “You win a championship, new contract, NBA 2K25 cover, Sports Illustrated… so after all of this, it’s definitely a humbling experience.”
Addressing Tatum’s comments on The Doug Gottlieb Show, the Fox veteran claimed that it seemed a bit braggy, “It’s not humbling. You’ve not been humbled because then you read off some sort of resume like any of us give a cr*p.” Moreover, Doug believes that Tatum’s reaction to Steve Kerr’s decision does not portray him in a good light, “I’m just gonna tell you right now how it reads to me. I’m sitting here as a coach and I’ll tell you Jayson Tatum seems like a colossal pain in the a**.” That’s because rather than saying that winning a gold medal is his top priority regardless of how many minutes he gets, Tatum felt the need to list out his recent accomplishments to the world.
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Jayson Tatum’s reaction to Jaylen Brown snub also raises concerns
Polls of the day
Do you agree with Jayson Tatum’s remark about the Olympics being a “colossal pain in the a**”?
Have an interesting take?
Do you think Bryson DeChambeau’s peace offering to Wyndham Clark was genuine?
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What do you think is Richard Jefferson’s biggest regret from his Olympic career?
Not making the team again
Missing out on the experience
Letting down his teammates
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Who do you think will clinch the MVP title in the upcoming Paris Olympics?
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Standing by his point, Gottlieb also raised fingers at Tatum’s comments regarding his teammate Jaylen Brown getting snubbed from Team USA selection. Obviously, he was referring to the time when JT tried to dodge any Brown related questions during an interview and gave a very dull response when asked about it, “I mean, there’s so many guys that could take that last spot or whatever.” But Jaylen Brown is not just any guy! Without him, Tatum might not even have a championship to brag about as Brown was by far the best Celtics player during the finals and even took home the Finals MVP trophy. So, maybe it would have been better if Tatum had given a more heartfelt response to defend his teammate.
More importantly, the media veteran believes that Tatum’s game might not be fit for the FIBA setting, “There’s a world there where people start to understand what makes you a great NBA player doesn’t necessarily make you a great International player.” Although JT is a superstar in Boston, he is surrounded by similar or even better players on his team in Paris. And with the rule changes at the world stage, Tatum has struggled to be as productive as he usually is. So, there is a chance that he just might not be the right fit to play for Team USA. Do you agree?
Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.
