Jayson Tatum is riding the bench for Team USA and his mom is big mad

Team USA was down 43-54 at the half of the 2024 Olympic Men's Basketball Semifinal against Serbia. The Atlanta Hawks' Bogdan Bogdanovic was hooping, Nikola Jokic was doing Nikola Jokic things. For a moment, it looked like Team USA might not reach the Gold Medal game that we all automatically assumed we were destined for. Then, when the second half resumed, fans were treated to some of the most beautiful basketball perhaps ever seen.

With Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant leading the way, Team USA defeated Serbia 95-91 to advance to the Olympics Gold Medal match. This was a game that everyone who was involved in will remember for the rest of their lives. Jayson Tatum's memory of this game, however, is that he watched it all unfold from the bench. 

This was the second time this Olympics that Jayson Tatum did not see any action. Tatum also didn't see the floor during Team USA’s 110-84 victory over Serbia in the group stage. This infuriated some fans, specifically Jayson Tatum's mother. Brandy Cole is her name and retweeting anti-Steve Kerr propaganda is her game. Tatum's mom retweeted a post by Dan Greenberg of Barstool Sports that basically stated Kerr shouldn't be coaching.

Per @CelticsUnite18 on Twitter/X:

Ahh players' parents. Do you ever escape them as a coach? It seems like even at the absolute highest level of play, that answer is no. If it means anything to Tatum's mother, Kerr did take accountability when the media questioned why Tatum was benched the first time around. Kerr told ESPN:

"Every game's going to be different, based on matchups. Jayson's First Team All-NBA, three years in a row. I felt like an idiot not playing him. But in a 40-minute game, you can't play more than 10. You really can't."

So, at least Kerr is staying true to his word? After all, if he doesn't like the matchup for Tatum against Serbia, he doesn't like the matchup. There's not much you can do about that. Granted, it's different to see Jayson Tatum considered ineffective even if just for a game, especially since we all just witnessed him dominate the NBA last season.

While this is Tatum's second Olympics, the 2020 team that competed in Tokyo was much different. Gregg Popovich was the coach. There was no LeBron James or Steph Curry, both having withdrawn. Tatum wasn't a starter in 2020 either, but he still averaged around 20 minutes per game and even recorded a game-high of 27 points. With Kerr at the helm, Tatum averages only 11 minutes per game. His game-high this Olympics? 10 points. Hopefully, Kerr will opt for Tatum in the upcoming gold medal game against France. Otherwise, Tatum's mom will definitely have a few more things to say.