"Tatum greatest waterboy of all time" - NBA fans roast Jayson Tatum riding bench in Team USA vs Serbia
The USA Men's National Basketball Team recorded their first win (110-84) at the 2024 Olympics against Serbia and they did it without Jayson Tatum. The 2024 NBA champion was benched for the entirety of the match and appeared as a DNP on the stat sheets for Sunday's group-stage game.
NBA fans were quick to notice the Celtics star's snub and roasted him. One fan even called him a 'waterboy.'
"Jayson Tatum greatest waterboy of all time."
Other fans were quick to express their opinion on X, formerly known as Twitter, about Tatum not even considered to play as a bench option.
"Steve Kerr said Jayson Tatum trash lol," @FippNoBirdie said.
"Anthony Edwards played 20minutes for Team USA today, Jayson Tatum played ZERO. I know who the next face of the NBA is," @_6foot4 said.
"Jayson Tatum got benched because he sucks btw," @ShakeZuIa said.
However, some came to Tatum's rescue and supported him.
"I don't like this Jayson Tatum slander I'm seeing on Twitter. He's the best in the world and should be starting for Team USA but Kerr has a vendetta against him and that's the only reason he didn't play at all today. He's the best in the world," @TJ_DGF said.
"I did not realize how badly NBA Champion Jayson Tatum hurt y’all and everyone else’s favorite basketball teams. Very sorry to hear that."
The five-time NBA All-Star had a great season in the NBA and also played well in Team USA's pre-Olympic exhibition games. Tatum may have been benched in their opening match, but there are still two group-stage games left.
Steve Kerr reveals the reason behind Jayson Tatum's absence against Serbia
NBA Republic posted on X sharing Steve Kerr's statement about not fielding Jayson Tatum.
According to the post, Steve Kerr did not play Tatum to accommodate Kevin Durant in the rotation. Both players share the same position and Kerr chose to stick with the Phoenix Suns star who played well and top-scored for Team USA with 23 points.
"He’ll make his mark," Kerr said. (via NBA Republic)
Team USA's next opponent will be South Sudan, which they also faced during an exhibition game ahead of the Olympics. The African team almost pulled off a huge upset, losing by only a single point.
South Sudan is also 1-0 in Group C after winning their first game against Puerto Rico, 90-79.