Jayson Tatum, Steve Kerr (Photos Credits: Getty Images)
Team USA delivered an outstanding performance in their first game against Serbia in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The American men’s basketball team secured their first victory in the Olympics with a score of 110-84. However, a key player was noticeably absent from the game. Coach Steve Kerr benched 2024 NBA champion Jayson Tatum for the first game. This resulted in heavy criticism from fans and NBA analysts, who started to question Tatum’s absence during the game.

A noted NBA author, Shea Serrano, explained Kerr’s decision and theorized why Derrick White, who replaced Kawhi Leonard on Team USA’s roster, was preferred over Tatum in the first game.

“Steve Kerr choosing to bring derrick white on the Olympic team instead of Jaylen brown and then making sure to only play derrick white and not Jayson Tatum so as to sow unrest on the Celtics is some Phil Jackson level of mind games lol.” Serrano wrote in his latest post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Conspiracy Theory About Kerr and Tatum Sparks Heated Debate Among Fans

Jaylen Brown has been a dominant player in the NBA in 2023–24, particularly in the postseason. Brown and Tatum combined for two incredible games that helped the Boston Celtics win their 18th franchise championship. Despite being named the Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP, Brown was not selected by Team USA officials, who chose White as a replacement for Leonard. This decision became apparent in Team USA’s first game when Kerr picked White to play instead of Tatum. Serrano’s comment sparked a debate among basketball fans, who shared their opinions in the comment section of Serrano’s post.

One fan said, “No, Kerr is just an awful coach and always has been.”

Meanwhile, another fan mentioned, “That’s literally exactly what he’s doing lmfao nasty work. Too bad all that has nothing to do with the actual Celtics though. I hope the players have the self-awareness to realize this, though, and use it as further fuel.”

Another fan said, “Kerr has Popovich and Phil DNA I hope one day people realize the way Kerr thinks has everything to do with Draymond being the most valuable person for that franchise EVER.”

When asked during a post-game interview, Kerr expressed regret about the decision and praised Tatum as the best player in the world. However, these words were not enough to protect him from fans’ disappointment

Team USA’s next game is against South Sudan, which gave them tough competition in the pre-Olympic exhibition game. The game is scheduled for August 1.