"I had to take a step back" - Jayson Tatum opens up about playing alongside LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant for Team USA
Jayson Tatum recently opened up about playing with LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant for Team USA. Tatum won a gold medal in the 2020 Paris Olympics, but this year is different due to the presence of some legendary players on the roster.
The Boston Celtics superstar was a guest on the latest episode of the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast with Carmelo Anthony and Kid Mero. He spoke about taking a backseat and how he got mesmerized playing with three of the best players in NBA history.
"I've been in the league for seven years, so I've played against all these guys. You know on that level and had to go against KD in the playoffs twice and 'Bron, and played against Steph in the Finals. So I have that level of appreciation for them. ... We did photos the other day and those three went off to the side and took pictures. I had to take a step back and be like, 'Man, those are the three best players to ever play this game,'" Tatum said.
"We all teammates right now going to try and win a gold medal. ... I don't know if it was a fan or the kid in me, but I was like, 'Man, this is dope. I'm on a team with KD, 'Bron and Steph," the one-time NBA champ added.
Jayson Tatum played with Kevin Durant on Team USA in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the gold medal. It will be his first time playing with LeBron James and Steph Curry in an international competition. The team could go down as one of the greatest teams ever assembled.
In addition to Tatum, KD, Curry and James, the other eight members of Team USA are Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.
Jayson Tatum named NBA 2K25 cover
2K Sports announced on Wednesday that Jayson Tatum will be one of three cover athletes for NBA 2K25. Tatum will be featured on the covers of the Standard Edition and All-Star Edition. He will be joined by Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson on the All-Star Edition cover.
Wilson is the cover athlete for the WNBA Edition, while Vince Carter is featured in Hall of Fame Edition. Carter will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.
In an appearance on "The Old Man and the Three" podcast, Tatum shared that he cried after his son Deuce gave him the NBA 2K25 news back on his birthday last March 3.
"I actually got like teary eyed. I kind of cried a little bit. Just because I feel like I'm very blessed and fortunate that when I was younger I had so many dreams and goals and things I wanted to check off and I'm experiencing those things in real time," Tatum said.