NFL legend Tom Brady gave a powerful statement regarding the benching of a Team USA Basketball star in the recent 2024 Paris Olympics. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum did not see action in two of their outings in the Summer Games, where the Americans captured their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal and 17th overall in the men’s basketball competition.
Tom Brady Reacts To Team USA Star’s Olympics Benching
Tom Brady commented on an Instagram post by ESPN’s SportsCenter about Tatum’s limited minutes. The post featured the Celtics forward’s quote about his Team USA performances, along with another slide showing his stats throughout the tournament. The quarterback ultimately praised the 26-year-old for his contributions in Team USA’s gold medal run. The main post garnered nearly 180,000 likes, while Brady’s comment reached over 20,000 likes.
“A true professional! A true champion! And a great teammate! We should celebrate people who care more about the team success than the individual success! There are so many people involved in every organization who don’t always play a “ starting” role but play a huge role in the success of the team. I have more respect for Jayson Tatum now more than ever! 💯 now this is what we should be teaching our kids!”
Brady spent the majority of his legendary NFL career with the New England Patriots, based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The town is part of the Greater Boston area and is home to the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, located about 40 minutes from Boston and the Celtics’ TD Garden.
The 47-year-old is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback in the history of the sport. He helped lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories in 20 seasons from 2000 to 2019. Brady captured his seventh and final Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 season.
Jayson Tatum Opens Up On Team USA Struggles
Meanwhile, Tatum’s initial comments that caught Brady’s attention involved him opening up about his shooting struggles throughout the tournament, as interviewed by Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
“I know I didn’t make a jump shot when I was with Team USA. I don’t know, law of averages. It’s a weird rhythm thing being with Team USA; you never exactly know when you’re gonna get the ball. But that’s part of it. You sign up for that because I’ve done it before (2020 Tokyo Olympics).”
The three-time All-NBA First Team member did not play in two of Team USA’s six games. Both coincidentally came against Serbia—during the first game of the group stage and the semifinal. Tatum ended the tournament with averages of 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks. He also shot 38.1 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three-point range as he clinched his second career Olympic gold medal in Paris.
The former Duke Blue Devil is coming off a standout year in the NBA. Tatum captured his first NBA championship and led the Celtics to their record-breaking 18th title by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2024 NBA Finals. Tatum also signed the largest contract in NBA history this summer—a five-year deal worth $315 million—and is the cover athlete for the upcoming video game NBA 2K25.
