Star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is playing under legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich for Team USA as the duo represents the U.S. in the Olympics to be held in Tokyo, Japan at the end of the month, and it isn’t their first time working together.
In fact, when Team USA last assembled ahead of the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 NBA season to compete in the FIBA World Cup, Tatum trained with Popovich, who took him aside and encouraged the St. Louis native to work on his defense. And while Tatum took the advice to heart, becoming one of the NBA’s best two-way players, injury took him out of World Cup play in 2019, both of which the Spurs coach discussed in a recent press conference regarding the US Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.
“He was [and] we were hugely disappointed when he got hurt,” said Popovich. “Let me just put it that way.”
Celtics Lab 55: Talking Tatum and Yam in Sin City, and saying the quiet part out loud https://t.co/Jf7Xi6X7VL
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) July 7, 2021
