Jayson Tatum (Image Credit: Getty Images)

Jayson Tatum ended last season with the Boston Celtics on a high note by winning his first NBA title. Soon after the season, Tatum saw a challenging time with Team USA. Despite being the fresh NBA title winner, Tatum was benched for several games, which garnered criticism for head coach Steve Kerr. 

Recently, the Celtics star sat with St. Louis Post-Dispatch. During the interview, he spoke about the differences between his time with the Celtics and his stint with Team USA.

“We had a hell of a team last year. They were so fun to be a part of that journey that we had, how we kind of dominated in the regular season and went 16-3 in the playoffs. It looked like it was easy, but it wasn’t. It was hard. It’s exciting to be able to run it back,” Tatum said.

“We have the same team coming back. We’re even more motivated to win another one, so let’s see what we can do,” he added.

Carmelo Anthony Praises Jayson Tatum for Gracefully Handling Team USA Bench Role

Carmelo Anthony recently shared his thoughts on Jayson Tatum’s challenging experience with Team USA during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Speaking on his ‘7PM in Brooklyn‘ podcast, Anthony highlighted the professionalism Tatum displayed despite being benched during critical games.

“I want these young athletes out here to know s—t is real out here. This man has one of the best resumes over the four or five years out of any player in any sport,” Anthony said.

“What he went through, I want everybody to see that s—t like that s–t hurt to go through that on national television around the world. He was resilient. He stood there, and the world knows that he’s f-king pissed,” he added.

Tatum was notably benched during Team USA’s group stage game and the semi-final against Serbia. In his reduced role, he averaged 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game over four appearances in Paris.