Carmelo Anthony’s Blunt Take On Jayson Tatum Getting Benched During Olympics

Jayson Tatum entered the 2024 Paris Olympics fresh off winning his first NBA championship. Many thought he would play a pivotal role in the American side’s efforts to claim a gold medal.

As soon as the tournament tipped off, though – head coach Steve Kerr immediately benched Tatum. That status didn’t change throughout the entirety of the 2024 Olympics. It got so bad that even Kerr’s own Golden State Warriors players like Draymond Green vocally spoke out about Tatum’s role on Team USA.

When the Olympics finally wrapped up, Kerr came out and explained why he benched Tatum. Then Stephen Curry came out and backed him up.

Still, Tatum’s treatment struck a nerve with many. This week, Carmelo Anthony spoke out about it.

“I want these young athletes out here to know s**t is real out here,” Anthony said on his podcast.

“This is somebody who we done cheered for. This man has one of the best resumes over the four or five years out of any player in any sport, right? What he went through, I want everybody to see that s**t.

“That s**t hurt to go through that on national, and the world [stage]. So I literally take my hat off to him [Tatum] because he was resilient. He stood there and the world knows that he’s f*****g pissed…That’s a different energy, that’s a different focus and a different understanding of what’s happening.”

Anthony was also particularly sympathetic to Tatum’s plight because it reminded him of what he went through in 2004.

“You flip that on me and go back to ‘04 and the camera pans to me and I’m sick over there [on the bench],” he continued. “I’m not aware, I’m just like ‘yo why am I not playing.’ I’m looking at what’s in front of us, not understanding, taking my time.”

It will be interesting to see how Tatum’s experience at the 2024 Olympics ultimately shapes him going forward. Will he use it as motivation to get better, or will it wreck his confidence once and for all? An answer one way or the other will emerge soon enough.

Jennifer Withers Hoey

Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about Sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.