Star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum truly came into his own as an elite player on the global stage provided by the Olympics in Tokyo and plans to play for Team USA again in 2024 according to the man himself in a recent interview on SiriusXM (h/t to Masslive’s Souichi Terada).
Speaking about the quadrennial event with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine, the St. Louis native revealed his plans to return to play for the US National Team despite running out of gas at the finish line of the 2022 NBA Finals. He also spoke about how important participation was to him.
“I’m a USA Basketball kid,” Tatum said. “I won three gold medals in high school. I won a gold medal last year. I always enjoy it.”
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 14, 2022
“(It is) something I never take for granted,” he continued. “I dreamed about being on the Olympic team when I was a kid.”
“It’s weird because growing up, we value winning a championship more. When you get over there, you see how other countries view being in the Olympics and playing for their country and trying to win a medal, let alone a gold medal.”
“It’s a huge honor and it’s a lot of fun,” finished Tatum.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 14, 2022
With word circulating that the Duke alum has worked to extend his endurance coupled with the fact that there are two offseasons between now and the next Olympics, Boston fans shouldn’t worry about Tatum’s potential overextension.
But with the Missouri native poised to be at the height of his powers when the summer of 2024 rolls around, it’s more than fair for opposing national teams to do so.
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