Limited role in Paris won’t affect LA’28 decision – Jayson Tatum

NBA champion Boston Celtics talisman Jayson Tatum has admitted that limited role in the Paris Olympics will not impact his decision to play for the USA in the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Tatum played in four of USA’s six games in Paris.

He didn’t play in the semifinal clash against Serbia, which the USA won by 95-91 while bouncing back in the fourth quarter. Tatum came off the bench in the first quarter in the gold medal match against France on Saturday and played for 11 minutes. The 26-year-old scored two points and three rebounds in his short appearance.

“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” Tatum said. “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. So I’m not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually.”

Tatum admitted it was challenging for him to warm the bench and not get regular chances on the court. However, the NBA champion said he learned a lot and wants to be ready for the upcoming NBA season.

“A lot of people text me and reached out and said ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate. There’s a lot of people that care about me,” Tatum said. “I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human.

“…Part of being in the moment, I’ve sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or [whenever] the season is, but like I said, 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.”

This was USA’s fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics.