Steve Kerr Says He ‘Felt Like an Idiot’ for Not Playing Jayson Tatum in Team USA’s Win Over Serbia

Team USA had a decisive win in their opening Olympics game against Serbia on Sunday, no thanks to Jayson Tatum. The team's head coach, Steve Kerr, left Tatum on the bench for the entirety of the game, and was asked about his surprising decision after the team's blowout win.

“[Jayson Tatum] handled it well. I talked to him today before the game, that it may play out this way just with Kevin [Durant] coming back," Kerr told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "I felt like an idiot not playing him."

“I went with the combinations that made sense,” Kerr added while speaking to reporters afterwards.

Kerr insisted that Tatum handled that situation "well" and promised that the he’ll "make his mark.”

Kevin Durant had a large part to play in Tatum's benching, as he dominated the game after returning from a calf injury. In the first half, KD didn’t miss, sinking eight shots in total with five of them being trey balls.

LeBron James put up 21 points, and told reporters to "have KD on my side is a treat for sure.”

Tatum wasn’t the only player who didn't see the court. Tyrese Haliburton was also benched, but will likely play when Team USA faces South Sudan on July 31.

Though Tatum didn’t get a chance to play, he still has plenty to celebrate. He recently signed a five-year, $314 million super maximum contract extension with the Boston Celtics — the largest contract in NBA history.

If having fat pockets wasn’t enough, Tatum was recently revealed to be one of the cover stars for NBA 2K25.