Jayson Tatum didn't play the first Olympic game. Here's who is still talking about it

Fresh off an NBA championship win, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics seemed to be at a career high heading into the 2024 Olympics.

Then, he was benched for the opening game, while other NBA-star teammates, including LeBron James and Steph Curry, were out on the court.

Fans were quick to notice Tatum's absence on the court in USA's opener against Serbia on Sunday, Jul. 28. The outrage immediately turned toward Coach Steve Kerr, who made the decision not to play Tatum.

While he has had playing time since, fans, athletes and critics continue to express their disapproval of Kerr's original decision.

Why was Tatum benched at the Olympics?

While fans initially speculated that Tatum was suffering from sickness or injury, Coach Kerr later confirmed that he had Tatum sit out. Kerr expressed difficulty in trying to play all 12 players in a 40 minute game, saying he had to think less of how impressive each player was and more of which combinations made sense.

“It's really hard in a 40-minute game to play more than 10 guys, and with Kevin (Durant) coming back, I just went to the combinations that I felt would make the most sense,” Kerr said. “It seems crazy. I thought I was crazy when I looked at everything and determined these are the lineups I want to get to. Jayson's first-team All-NBA three years in a row, he's one of the best players in the world.

“He's incredibly professional, and that's tonight. That doesn't mean it's going to stay that way the rest of the tournament, so he'll make his mark. But the key, and our guys know this, is to put all the NBA stuff in the rearview mirror and just win six games, and Jayson's the ultimate pro and champion and he handled it well and he's going to be ready for the next one.”

Kerr has continued to use this logic to explain the benching of other players, including Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers.

What did Jayson Tatum say about being benched?

Tatum himself called sitting on the bench "a humbling experience" in an interview with The Athletic last week.

Has Jayson Tatum played at all in the Olympics?

Tatum has played in the two games since the opener, helping team USA go three for three in victory over South Sudan on Jul. 31 and Puerto Rico on Aug. 3, where he dropped a double double.

Team USA faces Brazil in the quarterfinals tomorrow, Aug. 6, where fans will be watching closely for Tatum on the starting lineup.

What have other people said about Tatum being benched?

While Tatum has played since the first game, people continue to talk about the lack of playtime in the first game.

Former Celtics player Paul Pierce reacted more harshly, calling the decision "a pure insult" and "a slap in the face" on FS1's sports talk show "Undisputed" on Aug. 2.

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Pierce also criticized Kerr's coaching, calling his empathy fake and his coaching style biased: “Just Celtic hate. That’s all it’s ever been.”

Draymond Green of the current Golden State Warriors team joined Pierce by criticizing his own coach on his podcast "The Draymond Green Show." Green said on Aug. 4 he sees no reason for Tatum to sit out of a game in light of his success - he "just won an NBA championship, he’s on the cover of NBA 2K, on the cover of 'Sports Illustrated,' saying ‘Cheers,’ and just signed the biggest contract in NBA history.”

When Tatum's achievements and stats from the previous Olympics and the 2023-24 NBA season are considered, Coach Kerr's reasons are not enough for Pierce, Green or New England sports fans.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: What happened with Jayson Tatum at the 2024 Olympics? What people say