USA Basketball is close to securing gold at the Paris Summer Olympics, but ESPN commentator Dick Vitale has expressed dissatisfaction with the amount of court time allotted to Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Vitale took to Twitter to question why Tatum, an All-NBA player, isn’t seeing the playing time expected of him. Tatum’s mother echoed these concerns, responding to Vitale’s tweet with her own criticism, stating that the situation is unacceptable and perplexing.
Tatum has participated in three out of the team’s five games in Paris, averaging 19.9 minutes per game, which ranks fifth on the team. The 2023-24 NBA Finals MVP has logged just 60 minutes, the second-lowest on the squad. Despite no official reports of an injury, Tatum has played more games than any other player on the roster when combining the NBA regular season and postseason.
Competing alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant—both prominent players who might be appearing for Team USA for the final time—Tatum’s role remains a point of contention. Team USA has one final match against France to secure the gold medal on Saturday. A victory would mark the 20th time the U.S. has medaled in Olympic basketball, with 17 of those being gold.
This season, Tatum earned his fifth All-Star selection and his fourth All-NBA nod, averaging 23.1 points, 3.5 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game. He played a pivotal role in leading the Celtics to their 18th championship by defeating the Mavericks in five games.