Jayson Tatum Breaks Silence on Team USA Future for 2028 Olympics

Winning cures a lot of problems. For Jayson Tatum, it helps but it will take time.

Tatum saw his role on the gold medal-winning Team USA squad be erratic throughout the course of the Paris Olympics. After not appearing in the opener against Serbia, he played in three straight games before being benched again in the semifinals against the Serbs.

While he did play in the gold medal game against France, his time on the court was limited to 11 minutes as he got two points and three rebounds.

After the gold medal game, Tatum spoke to ESPN's Brian Windhorst about his time with Team USA in Paris, including his limited role and whether it will impact his willingness to be part of the squad again in 2028, where the Olympics will be held in the United States at Los Angeles.

"It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I'm not going to make any decision 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 off how this experience was or how I felt individually."

Despite the lack of playing time, Tatum got to have fun with his team after beating hosts France on Saturday, clinching his second gold after obtaining his first at Tokyo in 2021.

He didn't mince words on whether he was hearing from his parents and friends about what they saw was happening, saying he was appreciative of their efforts to keep his spirits up.

"A lot of people text me and reached out and said, 'Make sure this fuels you,' which I appreciate. There's a lot of people that care about me," Tatum said. "I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I'm still human.

"...Part of being in the moment, I've sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard. So in the moment it is tough. You're not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or [whenever] the season is, but like I said, it's something I'm going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It's definitely challenging and humbling at the same time."

The next four years will be interesting for Tatum, especially as he attempts to maintain his place as one of the best players in the NBA and be a star that can carry the weight of the country on his shoulders come 2028.

Related: How Gold Medal Win Ascends Jayson Tatum to LeBron James, Michael Jordan Status Despite Lack of Playing Time