TAT'S NOT RIGHT
Stephen A. Smith slams Steve Kerr’s ‘egregious’ Jayson Tatum handling and says star should ‘never look at him the same’
Stephen A. named two players in particular that he couldn't believe played over Tatum
STEPHEN A. Smith has slammed Steve Kerr's "egregious" handling of Jayson Tatum during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Tatum, 26, found himself benched for much of the tournament, and recorded a DNP in the semifinal against Serbia.
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Kerr, 58, went on to deliver gold - his team beating their hosts 98-87 to triumph.
Despite Team USA's victory, Smith, 56, was critical of the Golden State Warriors coach.
Speaking on his Stephen A. Smith Show, he said: "Steve Kerr's one of the greatest ever, but I don't give a damn what anybody says, there's no excuse to not play Jayson Tatum in two games.
"There's just no excuse for it, I don't care what anybody says.
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"The thing that was most egregious about what Steve Kerr did with Jayson Tatum was admitting that he went to him before one of the games, I believe it was against Serbia, and said to him 'it's going to be difficult for us to find you minutes tonight'.
"Jayson Tatum is one of the greatest players in the NBA, one of the greatest players in the world, he's a reigning, defending champion. And the last three years he's been first team All-NBA."
Smith then criticised Kerr's decision to play Jrue Holiday and Derrick White ahead of their Boston Celtics teammate.
He continued: "And two of the dudes on the team who were receiving playing time are guys who spend all year long deferring to him as members of the Boston Celtics.
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"How in God's name can you justify not finding minutes for Jayson Tatum? In any game. I don't give a damn what Steve Kerr says, that was egregious.
"But, his job was to bring home gold and that's what he did."
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After reeling off Kerr's achievements as a player and coach, Smith went on to add: "Steve Kerr is to be not just respected but revered, but that doesn't mean he's perfect.
"And I just think that's a hard pill to swallow. If I was Jayson Tatum I'd never look at him the same... never. But that's just me."
After leaving Tatum on the bench for the entirety of the Serbia game, Kerr explained: "It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys.
"Like I’ve said many times during this tournament and the last six weeks, it’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game."
NATIONS TO WIN OLYMPIC GOLD IN BASKETBALL
MEN'S:
- USA - 17
- Soviet Union - 2
- Yugoslavia - 1
Argentina - 1
WOMEN'S:
- USA - 9
- Soviet Union - 2
- '92 Unified Team - 1
Tatum did go on to feature in the final, going 1-3 from the field during an 11-minute cameo.
Following Team USA's gold medal triumph, Tatum was asked whether his lack of game time in Paris would affect his decision whether to play at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
He said, via ESPN: "It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I'm not going to make any decision off emotions.
"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.
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"So I'm not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually."
He then went on to add that the experience had been "challenging and humbling".