Did a Team USA Player Really Ask Jayson Tatum, ‘Why You Stretching’ During Warmups? Exploring Viral Tweet

Did a Team USA player actually ask Jayson Tatum why he was stretching during warmups? Here's all you need to know.

By Natasha Bose

Updated on Aug 15, 2024 | 04:16 PM IST | 63.5K

Did a Team USA Player Question Jayson Tatum's Warm-Up Stretching?

In short? No member of Team USA—anonymous or not—asked Jayson Tatum why he was stretching during warmups. It sounds like something Anthony Edwards might say, right? But nope, he didn't, and neither did Steve Kerr.

So, what's all the fuss about? For those who missed it, here's the scoop! A tweet has been circulating online, claiming that "LEAKED: An anonymous Team USA player reportedly told Jayson Tatum during warmups, 'Why you stretching?'"

This post is false. How do we know? The tweet came from NBA Centel! For those not in the know, NBA Centel is a parody account—a clever play on NBA Central—that posts funny, fictional NBA tweets. But they're not true. It's all for laughs. As their X (formerly Twitter) bio clearly states, "Featured on @FOXSports, @BarstoolSports, @SINoW, @DailyMailUK, @ComplexSports | PARODY Account. NOT Affiliated with @TheDunkCentral."

Now, there's a reason why some folks might have believed this to be true. Team USA did what they came to do, winning gold in Paris. But Steve Kerr's controversial handling of Jayson Tatum during the event stirred up a lot of debates.

Jayson Tatum found himself on the fringes of Team USA’s rotation—a role he's not familiar with or prepared for. And the fact that he didn’t play in two games during the Americans' gold medal run became a hot topic back home.

“I keep trying to say, I’m trying not to make it about me, all the storylines over the last few days—we won,” Tatum said after the Americans’ 98-87 victory over France, where he did play and contributed two points and three rebounds in 11 minutes. “We won a gold medal, and that was most important.”

Since they won, the debate is essentially over. History will likely view U.S. coach Steve Kerr favorably for his management of the team, for sticking with Devin Booker as a starter over Tatum, and for utilizing Derrick White as a key defender until the matchup against France, where Tatum’s length became more crucial.

Had Team USA lost at any point, especially in the medal rounds with Tatum on the bench, Kerr and Team USA's leadership would have faced intense criticism for not giving a bigger role to someone who has been a first-team All-NBA selection three years in a row.

But they didn't lose, so those arguments are now irrelevant. What's important for U.S. men's basketball moving forward is how Tatum feels, as the program will continue to need him.

“It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to be making any decisions off emotions,” Tatum said. “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. So I’m not going to make any decision based on how this experience was or how I felt individually.”

Even Draymond Green and Tatum's mother criticized the Warriors' four-time NBA champion coach. And now, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has jumped into the fray, criticizing Kerr's lineup decisions.

"Steve Kerr is one of the greatest ever," Smith declared on Monday's episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show. But I don't give a damn what anybody says: There's no excuse to not play Jayson Tatum in two games."

So, it’s easy to see why the tweet got some traction. It plays into the whole "fall guy" narrative. This isn't the first time Centel has posted something that almost fooled people. Another recent gem was when they claimed Anthony Edwards called Noah Lyles a ‘failed Usain Bolt wannabe’ amid their beef.