VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France – Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum won an NBA title in June and was fresh off being named All-NBA for the 2023-24 season.
But Tatum did not play in the United States’ 110-84 win over Serbia on Sunday in the opening game of Group C of the men’s 5×5 basketball tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
U.S. coach Steve Kerr explained his decision and spoke with Tatum.
“It’s really hard to use more than 10 guys in a 40-minute game, so I just went with the combination that I felt made the most sense with Kevin (Durant) coming back,” Kerr said. “I think it’s crazy. I looked at everything and I thought I was crazy when I decided this was the lineup I was going to go with. Jason has been named to the All-NBA first team three years in a row and is one of the best players in the world.
“He’s incredibly professional and that was evident tonight. That doesn’t mean that he’ll continue to be that way for the rest of the tournament, so he’ll make his mark. But the important thing, and our players know that, is to forget all about the NBA and win six games. Jason is the consummate professional and champion. He handled it well and will be ready for the next game.”
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Tatum wasn’t the only DNP recorded: Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton also didn’t play a minute.
A resurgent Kevin Durant (23 points, 8-of-9 shooting), a dominant performance from LeBron James (21 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds) and four other players who scored in double figures led the Stars and Stripes to a win over Nikola Jokic and Serbia in their 2024 Olympic debut.
The U.S. team will face South Sudan in a group match on Wednesday, July 31 at 3 p.m. ET.
