The US National Team took home gold over Team France in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it was far from a drama-free run to the top for the US National Team. And it was the shifting role of star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum that was a significant part of that drama.
But the DNPs handed to the NBA champion did not derail Team USA’s quest for gold — nor discourage the St. Louis native from playing for the US National Team again for the 2028 Olympics. At least, not yet, according to the man himself in a recent interview with ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst. “It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” said Tatum.
“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,” he added. “So I’m not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually.”
Celtics Lab 276: A closer look at the Olympics, Team USA, and the Celtics with Noa Dalzell https://t.co/8pKriN9TpA pic.twitter.com/BxWhKDs48x
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 5, 2024
“A lot of people text me and reached out and said, ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate,” explained Tatum. “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,” he noted. “So in the moment it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or (whenever) the season is … 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.”
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