Celtics’ Jayson Tatum: It’d Be ‘Hell of a Year’ to Win NBA Title, Olympic Gold Medal

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVJuly 16, 2024

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Jayson Tatum hasn’t counted his chickens before they’ve hatched, but he’s starting to see the vision of winning an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year.

“It would be a hell of a year. A hell of a summer. I got no complaints,” Tatum told Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

Tatum, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday all have the opportunity to join the select class of players who have pulled off the double feature. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Khris Middleton and Holiday are the only players who have done so thus far.

Holiday would be the first player to pull off the feat twice if the U.S. wins gold this summer.

“The guys who have won championships understand the feeling, what it’s like and what it takes,” Tatum told Andscape. “Every time they see me, they say, ‘What’s up, champ?’ It’s definitely good to hear that from your peers.”

The United States is an overwhelming favorite to win this summer in Paris, boasting one of the most star-studded lineups in basketball history. Tatum is joined by veterans like James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis and youngsters like Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton.

After playing for the most loaded team in the NBA all of last season, Tatum has the good fortune of not having to carry the roster in Paris.

Barring something unforeseen happening, we could get to see him make history this summer.