STEPHEN A. Smith criticized Steve Kerr’s “blatant” handling of Jayson Tatum during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Tatum, 26, sat on the bench for much of the tournament and recorded a DNP in the semifinal against Serbia.
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Kerr, 58, won gold – his team beat the hosts 98-87 to triumph.
Despite Team USA’s victory, Smith, 56, criticized the Golden State Warriors coach.
Speaking of your Stephen A. Smith showhe said, “Steve Kerr is one of the greatest of all time, but I don’t care what anyone says, there’s no excuse not to play Jayson Tatum in two games.
“There’s just no excuse for it, I don’t care what they say.
“What was most egregious about what Steve Kerr did to Jayson Tatum was admitting that he went up to him before one of the games, I believe it was against Serbia, and told him ‘it’s going to be hard 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 is the current champion. And the last three years he’s been first-team all-NBA.”
Smith then criticized Kerr’s decision to play Jrue Holiday and Derrick White ahead of his Boston Celtics teammate.
He continued: “And two of the guys on the team who were getting playing time are guys who spend all year submitting to him as members of the Boston Celtics.
“How in God’s name can you justify not finding minutes for Jayson Tatum? In any game. I don’t care what Steve Kerr says, that was egregious.
“But his job was to bring home gold and that’s what he did.”
After looking back on Kerr’s achievements as a player and coach, Smith added: “Steve Kerr should not only be respected but revered, but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect.
“And I just think that’s a hard pill to swallow. If I were Jayson Tatum, I would never look at him the same way… ever. But that’s just me.”
After leaving Tatum on the bench for the entire Serbia game, Kerr explained: “It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; That’s what I saw from the other guys.
“As I’ve said many times during this tournament and over the last six weeks, it’s hard to play against 11 people, even in an NBA game.”
NATIONS WILL WIN OLYMPIC GOLD IN BASKETBALL
MASCULINE:
- USA – 17
- Soviet Union – 2
- Yugoslavia – 1
Argentina – 1
WOMEN:
- USA – 9
- Soviet Union – 2
- ’92 Unified Team – 1
Tatum participated in the final, scoring 1-3 from the field during an 11-minute cameo.
Following Team USA’s gold medal triumph, Tatum was asked if his lack of playing time in Paris would affect his decision to play in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
He said, through ESPN: “It was a difficult personal experience on the court, but I will not make any decision based on emotions.
“If you asked me now if I would play in 2028 – four years from now I [would have] take some time and think about it.
“So I’m not going to make any decisions based on what that experience was like or how I felt individually.”
He then added that the experience was “challenging and humbling.”
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