"Bust their living a**" - Stephen A. Smith pushes Jayson Tatum to settle score with Steve Kerr for Team USA bench role
Steve Kerr is reportedly stepping down as the head coach of the United States men's basketball team. On the latest episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show," ESPN's Stephen A. Smith talked about his desire to witness retribution from Jayson Tatum on the Golden State Warriors head coach the next season.
One of the highlights during the summer was Kerr's decision not to play Tatum for two games in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He didn't play the Boston Celtics forward in their first game, which was against Serbia. In the semifinal, they met the same team, and the coach displayed a similar routine.
Tatum had the second-fewest minutes on the team. He struggled to find minutes under Kerr's system despite winning the NBA championship last season.
Smith shared his thoughts on Kerr's decision to leave Team USA and pushed for Tatum to settle his score.
"If there's somebody who deserves to celebrate their gold medal the least, it would be Steve Kerr," Smith said. "What he did to Jayson Tatum was unconscionable. And I understand that Tatum went to the gold medal game, and he started, and he didn't look great. But we also know why. Because we know that Steve Kerr was messing with him. From the standpoint of not playing him. ... (1:06)
"I'm not gonna lie to you. It has me wishing that Jayson Tatum as the Boston Celtics go against the Golden State Warriors while Steve Kerr is still coaching them and bust their living a**. Cause I don't see how you could justify that." (2:50)
Stephen A. Smith called out Kerr for turning Tatum into a "waterboy"
A few fans have voiced their opinion on Kerr's decision to bench Tatum. Many were taken aback when the Warriors coach decided not to play the star forward for the first time. Stephen A. Smith was among those voicing his dissatisfaction with the situation.
"Steve Kerr, that's some straight bulls**t. You gotta be kidding me. ... And to have him go through an entire NBA season and then go through the playoffs and capture a championship and still take time in his offseason to join Team USA and to have a champion riding the bench like he's some d**n waterboy. You've got to be kidding me," Smith said. (07:24)
Little did Smith and most fans know that that wasn't the only time Kerr would have the star forward ride the bench for an entire game.