After the Boston Celtics celebrated their NBA championship, several players headed to Paris to compete in the Olympics with Team USA. Surprisingly, the Celtics’ top stars didn’t see the court as much as expected—Jayson Tatum had limited minutes, and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown wasn’t even selected for the roster.
This raised eyebrows across the NBA community, especially among Celtics fans. Recently, during Boston’s media day, veteran Al Horford weighed in on the situation.
“I personally was not happy about it,” Horford told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, speaking on Tatum’s sporadic minutes and Brown’s omission from Team USA. “Those guys, they’re very special to me. And even though it was nothing against me, it motivated me and all of us for this season.”
Horford highlighted how Brown’s game had evolved, emphasizing that he deserved more recognition. “You saw an evolution in Jaylen’s game [last season],” Horford said. “It wasn’t just about scoring. He was getting people involved, making the right reads.”
Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics holds up the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Elsa/Getty Images
Horford continued, “He’s making the cuts when he needs to get to the basket. And on the defensive end, he just took it to another level. His energy, his commitment to defense—it was inspiring for all of us.”
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Steve Kerr addresses Tatum’s role with Team USA
In an interview with NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr shared his perspective on the situation and praised the professionalism of both Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton throughout the tournament.
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“Those guys were all great,” Kerr said. “Jayson handled things so well. It became a media topic, but he couldn’t have handled it better. Tyrese [Haliburton], same thing. Every game was different, and we talked about that from the first night—12 superstars, and probably only nine can play consistent minutes.”
Kerr added, “They handled themselves really professionally and pulled for each other. I couldn’t be prouder of them all.” He also made a lighthearted remark about the reaction from Celtics fans: “I think they’re going to be all over me. [laughs] That’s fine.”
