Jayson Tatum Used One Word to Describe What Olympic Benching Felt Like

Andy Nesbitt | Aug 1, 2024

United States small forward Jayson Tatum (10) drives against South Sudan small forward Nuni Omot (5) in the fourth quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Jayson Tatum was back in a familiar spot on Wednesday after sitting out all of Team USA's Olympics opener just a few days before—the starting lineup.

The Celtics star got the nod from Steve Kerr and joined LeBron James, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, and Devin Booker on the floor at the start of Team USA's 103-86 win over South Sudan in Paris. He only finished with four points in 17 minutes but it was a much better day for him than Sunday when he became the biggest story in Team USA's win over Serbia by not playing a single minute.

Tatum talked about the benching after Wednesday's game, calling the experience "humbling."

"It's a unique situation, and it's not about one individual player, competitor in you wants to play obviously, but I'm not here to make a story about myself," he said. "You win a championship, new contract,NBA 2K25cover, Sports Illustrated...so after all of this, it's definitely a humbling experience."

Joel Embiid got the Tatum treatment against South Sudan, as the 76ers star didn't get off the bench after starting against Serbia.

It will be interesting to see how Kerr mixes up his lineups going forward, and it seems like some stars are going to experience something they're not used to going through as the team attempts to win its fifth straight gold medal.