LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jayson Tatum of the NBA champion Boston Celtics did not attend the start of U.S. men’s Olympic basketball training camp on Saturday due to personal reasons.
U.S. coach Steve Kerr said Tatum is expected to join the team by Monday when the team practices in Las Vegas for the third of four training sessions. The team plays its first exhibition match against Canada on Wednesday and leaves overseas on Thursday for a roughly five-week trip, starting with two games in Abu Dhabi, then two more in London before heading to Paris for the Olympics.
The 26-year-old Tatum is one of two Celtics on the U.S. team, along with Jrue Holiday, seeking his second Olympic gold medal after being part of the team that won the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Tatum averaged 15.2 points for the U.S. in that Olympics, second on the team to Kevin Durant’s 20.7 points per game.
The Olympics will cap a busy few months for Tatum. The five-time All-Star helped the Celtics win their first NBA title since 2008 last month and then agreed to a league-record, five-year, $314 million contract extension at the start of the offseason that could keep him in Boston through the 2029-30 season.
The deal was signed on Saturday, the first day such a deal could be implemented under NBA rules.
“Jason is a special person and player, and we have all been thrilled to follow his journey with Boston,” Celtics president Brad Stevens said in a release distributed by the team on Saturday. “He embraces all that comes with being a part of the great Celtics and consistently demonstrates genuine compassion for his teammates, coaches and all staff members across our organization.”
Tatum averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season with the Celtics and has averaged 23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his first seven NBA seasons.
Tatum spent much of the week before the start of the U.S. training camp in Las Vegas, hosting his own elite camp for select high school and college players, including fellow U.S. Olympian Bam Adebayo, as well as NBA players Paolo Banchero and Chris Paul.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
