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Athlon Sports
How Gold Medal Win Ascends Jayson Tatum to LeBron James, Michael Jordan Status Despite Lack of Playing Time
By Benedetto Vitale,
4 hours ago
The USA brings home its fifth consecutive gold medal in men's basketball after Team USA edged out France in the Olympic final. Stephen Curry became an American legend for his fourth-quarter antics to give the USA the 98-87 win.
However, Jayson Tatum, who saw minimal playing time throughout the Olympics, finds himself in elite company alongside LeBron James and Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.
With the gold medal win, Tatum joins James and Jordan as the only three people in the world to ever make the All-NBA First Team, win an NBA Championship, and win an Olympic gold medal in a single year, according to CelticsMuse.
Tatum achieved this feat this year in 2024 while James did it in 2012. Meanwhile, Jordan was the first to reach this accomplishment back in 1992.
The Boston Celtics star became a meme throughout the Olympics this year but it wasn't truly his fault. Head coach Steve Kerr just rarely played Tatum in general. There were two games where Kerr didn't play him at all. But when he got the opportunity, Tatum proved to be reliable. He finished the Paris Olympics averaging 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Tatum played a major role in helping the Celtics win the NBA Finals this year earlier in June. For that reason alone many believed Tatum would be featured often with Team USA. However, two of his Celtics teammates, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, both played in more games.
United States guard LeBron James (6) and small forward Jayson Tatum (10) react in the first half against Brazil in a men’s basketball quarterfinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena.
Boston has been one of the more competitive teams in the NBA since drafting Tatum in 2017. At just 26 years old, he has plenty of time remaining in his career. He was one of the best players on the court more often than not averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game.
His playing time for Team USA doesn't reflect the caliber of player he truly is. Despite that, he's in the same boat as James and Jordan for the rest of eternity.
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