Jayson Tatum talks about the Olympic substitute “debate,” the Celtics’ NBA title and more

Some things never change for Jayson Tatum. While his career has been up and down, there has been one constant: Tatum is at the center of the conversation.

He burst onto the NBA scene at 19 as an impressive supporting player, but the public perception of him vacillated between promise and overrated. When he led the Boston Celtics to the title in June, he was the championship pass and the final word to dispel doubts about his fame.

But it only took a few weeks for the conversation to come up again. This time, the tone was different. As a member of the U.S. team, Tatum (along with Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton) came off the bench in the Olympic opening game against Serbia. Although Tatum played in four of the other five games – he was on the bench again in the semifinal against Serbia – his substitution became one of the talking points of the tournament.

“It’s one of those things that has been talked about and debated so much,” Tatum said. “There was a period where I was wondering if he was a superstar or not. Then there was a big debate, like, is he ready for the championship now? Then I was wondering why he couldn’t compete in the (Olympics). I thought, I just won a championship, it’s summer, it might be nice to have a little break where you’re not turning on ESPN and they’re talking about you. But I guess that’s part of it, and that’s maybe the level I’ve reached now in my career.”

Despite staying in the Olympic Village and avoiding speaking publicly during the Games, Tatum was aware of what was happening outside of Paris. And while this was one of the rare moments when the public had his back, it still wasn’t easy for him.

“It was a lot. In the age of social media, you see everything,” Tatum said. “You see all the tweets and people on the podcasts and on TV giving their opinion on it, whether they thought it was a good decision or an outrageous decision or whatever. Obviously, I wanted to contribute more and I’ve never been in (that) situation before. I started playing basketball at the YMCA when I was 3 and I never didn’t play, so it was different and challenging.”

Kerr, the U.S. team’s head coach, justified his decision by saying he had to face Nikola Jokić and the big Serbian team, and then proved he was serious by having Tatum play in all remaining games except the Serbia return match in the semifinals.

Ironically, his Celtics teammate Jrue Holiday benefited from Tatum’s substitution when he started in the games against Serbia. But Holiday said Wednesday he felt the whole situation had been blown out of proportion given the coverage in the basketball world.

“When you see it everywhere and all the time and people talk about it and I hear about it all the time, I think, ‘Man, I can only imagine what he’s going through,'” Holiday said.. “I feel like he had fun, and I think that’s part of the experience, that he enjoys it. I hope he had a chance to enjoy it, because I did. It’s fun to play with him and (Derrick) White, but it’s also fun to play with some of the best players of all time.”

“I didn’t mope. I didn’t have an attitude. I wasn’t angry at the world,” Tatum said. “I was ready and I did what was asked of me and I won a gold medal, right?”

In addition to rotation constraints, there was another reason Tatum slipped down the rankings. After excelling in the second half of the regular season, he had the worst losing streak of his career since the start of the playoffs.

“I know I didn’t take a jump shot when I was on Team USA. I don’t know, it’s the law of averages,” Tatum said. “It’s a weird rhythm being on Team USA; you never know exactly when you’re going to get the ball. But that’s part of it. You sign up for it because I’ve done it before (at the Tokyo Games).”

Tatum and those around him have stressed that he is not injured and has not lost confidence in his shot. Although he made 28.3 percent of his shots from distance in the playoffs and missed every jump shot for the US team, he said that he has been playing basketball long enough and does not have to worry about whether he will be back on track by October.

“I’ve got two (gold medals) now, I’ve got a championship and not everything necessarily goes the way you expect it to, right?” Tatum said. “I’ve learned to think, ‘OK, this is part of it.’ You move on and I’m getting ready to enjoy the last few weeks I have left before the season starts and get ready for another season.”

Tatum’s summer was full of success on and off the court. He was named the cover athlete of NBA 2K25, his children’s book is coming out on September 10th, and he signed the largest contract extension in NBA history (so far).

Jayson Tatum lifts his son Deuce after the Celtics won the NBA title at home in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Finally, everything has calmed down, and Tatum can focus on spending the rest of the summer with his six-year-old son, Deuce, before he starts first grade. As Tatum continues to learn how to handle the ever-brightening spotlight, his son begins to understand who his father is to the rest of the world.

“I guess when he went to school, he realized what a big deal it was for us to win a championship or compete for it,” Tatum said. “He just thought that was normal until he got to school and people were talking about the Celtics and us winning and us trying to compete for a championship. I think he realized the importance of that when he was around kids his age and even older kids in fourth and fifth grade.”

Last season, he often came to Deuce’s school to spend time with his son’s classmates and teachers. Tatum said he loved reading to his son’s class when the kids were excited. Deuce got a taste of what it was like to be his dad when he was the talk of his school in kindergarten. While his son is growing up quickly, Tatum says he’s learning to let go as a father.

“I’m not going to lie, I was nervous at first about sending him to school,” Tatum said. “Just because you’re putting your most valuable possession, your own child, into someone else’s care five days a week, which is normal, of course. Kids go to school. But I was nervous at first.”

Once Deuce starts school, Tatum will be able to focus on his day job. His goal for the Celtics is to make sure they don’t lose the drive to move forward next season. He said they need to fight complacency, something they did last year under Joe Mazzulla.

The Celtics got their rings fitted two weeks ago, and Tatum said everyone was thrilled with the process. When the team arrived at the facility earlier this month, he told everyone they needed to make sure their title celebration was short-lived once games started.

“I feel like we have to put this behind us in a weird way after ring night,” he said. “Last year was last year. We did it. It was a dream come true. We worked our asses off for it. But after ring night, we have to move on. We have to get ready for game two.”

Tatum and the Celtics failed so many times in the past before finally breaking through this summer. Only a championship changed their reputation and outlook, even though they were so close so many times.

But this summer hasn’t been perfect for Tatum. Along with all of his success, there was also a humbling experience. Those moments in earlier seasons helped him develop into the Celtics’ best player, who is now officially a superstar with championship potential. So Team USA’s substitutions, while largely over-the-top, could benefit Tatum in the long run.

“I’m always a glass-half-full kind of guy,” he said. “I always believe that everything happens for a reason, and whatever that may be, I don’t know yet. But I’m sure I’ll find out.”

(Top photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)