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Jayson Tatum Was Benched Because of Steve Kerr's Hate for Celtics Against Serbia; Paul Pierce Makes Staggering Claim
Jayson Tatum's snub in the opening game of the Olympics against Serbia turned a lot of heads and the criticism of Steve Kerr is at its peak.
A few days have passed since Steve Kerr benched Jayson Tatum during Team USA's 2024 Olympic opening match against Serbia. He is still criticized, though, for the decision. Paul Pierce, a Boston Celtics legend who helped the team win a championship in 2008, expressed his displeasure with Kerr's choice.
For this Friday's Undisputed episode, Pierce talked with Keyshawn Johnson and veteran analyst Skip Bayless. Pierce said, “I don't think this was humbling. This was more like a slap in the face. After the game, Kerr was like, he felt bad. You feel like an idiot. And then, you try to sit Embiid the next game, to kind of justify it, like, ‘Look, I sat the MVP.’ Naah, that ain’t what this was. It's just Celtic hate, good old Celtic hate. That’s all it’s ever been.”
The Truth said when Johnson made Pierce aware that Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, two other Celtics teammates, were playing regularly: “I mean when you are the guy for the Celtics, there’s a lot of hate. I know from first-hand experience. Jaylen Brown, he can’t even get in. He can’t even get on the team, Finals MVP. But think about this, there’s no team on planet Earth that Jayson Tatum shouldn’t get minutes on.”
Undoubtedly, Steve Kerr's choice to bench Tatum infuriated a lot of people, including Matt Barnes, a former forward for the Golden State Warriors. It is not surprising that a Boston icon like Paul Pierce objected to the ruling as well. Tatum, though, started in Wednesday's matchup with South Sudan. Tatum finished with four points, five rebounds, and two assists as Team USA defeated them 103–86.
Paul Pierce may be adamant that Jayson Tatum's benching was a blatant instance of Celtic hatred, but that was probably not the case. In an interview with The Athletic on Monday, Steve Kerr defended his ability to choose what's best for the team.
Kerr must have had a difficult time deciding not to play Jayson Tatum, but he had to consider the matchup when making his decision. There are still many more games in the Olympics in Paris in 2024, and Kerr might have to make even more difficult choices. The criticisms won’t reach his ears as long as he gets the American team to win the gold medal in Paris.
ALSO READ: Watch: Jayson Tatum Posterizes Caleb Martin With Outrageous Dunk As Boston Takes 3–1 Lead in Series
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