Fact Check: Did Jayson Tatum Really Tell Jaylen Brown ‘He Wished He Stayed Home and Didn’t Waste His Summer in Paris’?

Jayson Tatum's benching during the 2024 Paris Olympics has already caught much attention. However, a tweet went viral lately, claiming that Tatum told Jaylen Brown that he could have stayed at home.

By Nitish Singh

Published on Aug 22, 2024 | 04:01 PM IST | 96K

Tatum, was that you?

There has been much discussion and speculation surrounding Jayson Tatum’s benching during the 2024 Paris Olympics. While news outlets have covered one side of the story, alleging a setback for the Boston Celtics guard, fake news has also made its rounds.

Recently, a tweet went viral from a parody account, NBA Centel, falsely claiming that Tatum had a conversation with his Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown about getting DNPs (Did Not Plays) during the Olympics.

The tweet sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, as the caption read, “Jaylen Brown on Jayson Tatum getting DNPs during the Olympics: ‘He told me he wished he stayed home and didn’t waste his summer in Paris.’”

Although the near believable tweet was fake as Brown did not have any conversation with Tatum over the issue as the post claimed. However, the video that was quoted was from one of Brown’s recent interviews with CNBC Sports.

In the interview, Jaylen Brown broke his silence on his Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum’s limited playtime during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Brown and Tatum had both achieved their long-standing NBA title dream last season, but their fortunes shifted at the Olympics, where Brown missed out on the Team USA roster, while Tatum made the team but saw minimal playing time during the games.

Also Read: Steve Kerr Called Out by Former NBA Legend for 'Unfair' Treatment of Jayson Tatum in Paris Olympics

Tatum’s reduced role in Paris had attracted significant attention from former players and analysts, but Brown had initially chosen to remain notably silent on the matter.

During an interview with Monte Poole of NBC Sports, Brown made his first public comments on Tatum’s playing time, stating, “I don’t have any comments right now… I’m focused on the Oakland XChange, and I’m excited about that. Jayson will be fine. Jayson Tatum will be fine.”

Here is the actual interview which was quoted by the parody account:

Brown seemed resolute in his desire to focus on his upcoming endeavors while expressing confidence in Tatum's ability to overcome the challenges he faced in Paris.

Notably, Brown had hoped to join the Team USA roster as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard. His disappointment became more evident when Derrick White was picked as a replacement instead. Brown took to social media to express his feelings, indicating a shift from his earlier silence on Tatum's situation.

While Brown's reserved comments to NBC Sports suggest a reluctance to engage in public discourse on Tatum's playtime, his vocal expression on social media regarding his own Olympic aspirations demonstrated a willingness to communicate his feelings more openly in certain contexts.

Also Read: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Are Victims of Conspiracy Claim Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford