It’s only been a year since Team USA secured the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, there have already been talks regarding which stars will join Team USA for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. One of the stars expected to participate is Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. That is, despite him not having a defined role under head coach Steve Kerr in 2024.
Team USA had six games in the tournament and most stars had their opportunity to shine in that period. Stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards and Bam Adebayo played all six games. Jrue Holiday, Joel Embiid and Derrick White appeared in five contests.
Despite being fit for the national team’s Olympic run, Tatum was sadly only able to play in four games. Tyrese Haliburton, a standout for the Indiana Pacers, only appeared in three games and didn’t get enough playing time.
Even with his limited role last year, CBS Sports’ Colin Ward-Henninger predicts that the Boston Celtics star will play in 2028.
“Assuming his recovery from Achilles surgery goes well, Tatum is a no-brainer to make a third straight Olympic appearance. He’ll be 30 in 2028, making him one of the leaders in terms of experience and accomplishments,” Ward-Henninger wrote.
“Tatum notably didn’t receive much playing time from Kerr in Paris, picking up DNPs in two games, but that likely will not be the case in Los Angeles.”
The good news for Tatum and the Celtics fans, Kerr won’t continue as the head coach of the national team. Following the 2024 Olympic Games, it was announced that he wouldn’t continue with the program.
The father of the Boston Celtics star opened up about Tatum not playing
In the NBA, Tatum is one of the best players. He’s shown that he has what it takes to be better than everyone else, as he helped the Boston Celtics win the championship before the Summer Olympics. However, the presence of James and Durant on the national team limited his time on the floor.
Following the tournament, Tatum’s father, Justin, talked to Marc Spears and revealed what the star forward felt about not playing.
“He wasn’t good with not playing,” Justin said. “But he wasn’t in the room pouting or throwing chairs around or it was a topic of conversation at dinner… But he was happy to be out there winning the gold and he never really played with LeBron [James], Steph [Curry] or KD [Kevin Durant]. Being around those guys was a great experience and the main thing we were talking about.”
Still, having Tatum as a backup during the 2024 Olympics was something that other nations didn’t have the luxury to have.
For other sports-related content:
Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
