Tom Brady praises Jayson Tatum for approach to Olympic benching

Jayson Tatum was benched, not once, but twice during the Paris Olympics this summer.

The Celtics star was still able to maintain his composure and a positive attitude as Team USA claimed the gold medal in men’s basketball. He spoke with The Athletic’s Jared Weiss on how he handled the situation and how he felt in the moment.

“I wasn’t moping around. I didn’t have an attitude,” Tatum told The Athletic. “I wasn’t angry at the world. I stayed ready and did what was asked of me and I won a gold medal, right?

“I know I didn’t make a jump shot when I was with Team USA,” Tatum added. “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 (at the Tokyo Games).”

ESPN’s SportsCenter posted a graphic featuring Tatum’s comments and his Olympic stats (5.3 points per game on 38 percent shooting) on Instagram. There were a number of supporters in the comments praising Tatum, including Patriots legend Tom Brady.

“A true professional! A true champion! And a great teammate!” Brady wrote. “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,” Brady continued. “I have more respect for Jayson Tatum now more than ever! 100% now this is what we should be teaching our kids!”

Tatum, fresh off of his first NBA championship with the Celtics and a fifth consecutive All-Star game appearance, has been considered a star for a long time.

He was the No. 3 college hoops prospect in the nation during his senior year of high school according to ESPN. The Celtics drafted him No. 3 overall in the NBA Draft in 2017. He has won numerous accolades during his NBA career, and was arguably the best player on the NBA’s best team last season.

He easily could have caused more of a scene about his playing time, but chose not to. The humble approach drew praise from Brady.