It’s been quite the summer for Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday. Less than two months after a historically dominant championship season with the Boston Celtics, the trio of Tatum, White, and Holiday were popping bottles again, this time celebrating an Olympic gold medal.
Of all the great NBA trios, Tatum, White, and Holiday became the first to win both an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year – and each of them left their mark.
For Holiday, it was a step closer to etching his name in basketball immortality and a spot in the Hall of Fame. For the second time in his career, Holiday won an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same summer, joining Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen as the only other player in history to achieve this remarkable feat.
The 15-year pro is now a two-time NBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time All-Star, and a six-time All-Defensive Team member. Furthermore, only Pippen, Kobe Bryant, Clyde Drexler, James Harden, and LeBron James have career totals for regular and postseason points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks that match or exceed those of Jrue Holiday. In this author’s opinion, that is undoubtedly worthy of a Naismith orange jacket.
For White, it was a chance to show a global audience the kind of player he is – and he did not disappoint. The two-time All-Defensive guard led the team with 1.4 steals per game and added 1.0 blocks, making his presence felt every time he was on the floor. Whether through his tenacious defense, elite rim protection, playmaking, scoring from all three levels, or simply just his unselfishness, the nation got a taste of the Derrick White experience and quickly realized why number nine is such a beloved player in Boston.
Then there was Tatum. The 26-year-old capped off what many are calling “The Summer of Tatum”—in which he was named to the All-NBA First Team for the third consecutive season, won his first NBA championship, signed the largest deal in league history, and graced the covers of Sports Illustrated and NBA 2K25—with a gold medal.
In doing so, Tatum joined Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the only players to achieve All-NBA First Team honors, win an NBA championship, and secure an Olympic gold medal in the same year. This feat adds to a resume that already boasts an NBA championship, two Olympic gold medals, five All-Star selections, four All-NBA nods, an Eastern Conference Finals MVP, an All-Star Game MVP, and the most playoff points before the age of 27.
While Tatum will be heading home with more hardware for his already impressive trophy case, it comes in a way that he—and many others—did not expect.
Tatum found himself in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar role during the Olympics, playing just 71 minutes—the second-fewest on the team, ahead of only Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. He did not play in two of the six games, including the nail-biting semifinal victory over Serbia. In the gold medal win, he came off the bench in the first quarter and played only 11 minutes.
“It was a tough personal experience on the court,” Tatum told reporters. “It’s something I’m going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It’s definitely challenging and humbling at the same time.”
Few people understood the decision not to play Tatum. Figures from all over the NBA landscape, past and present, voiced their support for the 26-year-old superstar, wondering how a player of his stature could possibly be the odd man out.
“A lot of people text me and reached out and said, ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate. There’s a lot of people that care about me,” Tatum said. “I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human, and it’s still a human aspect, part of being in the moment. I sacrificed and put a lot into this game and worked really, really hard.”
Tatum faced disrespect and, in some ways, embarrassment in front of a global audience. While he is no stranger to scrutiny and criticism, this situation felt particularly unique. Although he didn’t explicitly say so in the aftermath of winning gold—understandably—this experience will undoubtedly fuel his drive this season.
It’s rare to find such motivation coming off a championship season, which may explain the common occurrence of championship hangovers. However, Boston finds itself in a different position—the two cornerstones of the franchise, Tatum and Jaylen Brown, will enter the season with a chip on their shoulder, and that’s bad news for the rest of the NBA.
Brown has already spoken about it, and it’s hard to imagine he and Tatum aren’t on the same page about their feelings. “Absolutely,” Brown said last month when asked if being left off the team provides added motivation. “I’m super fired up. I’ve got all the motivation in the world to just come out and improve. I love it, honestly.”
We’ve seen the power of motivation in action with these two. Take last season, for example. Brown frequently spoke about how driven he was after falling short in Game 7 against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference. The result? The best year of his professional career, culminating in an Eastern Conference MVP award and an NBA Finals MVP award.
While Tatum may not be as outspoken as Brown, he too hears the outside noise. He has channeled that, along with past shortcomings, into the fuel that propelled the Celtics to Banner 18 -- a postseason run in which he led the team in points (25.0), rebounds (9.7), and assists (6.3) per game while providing solid defense. Tatum joined Hakeem Olajuwon, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Tim Duncan, and Larry Bird as the only players in NBA history to win a title and lead their team in total points, rebounds, and assists.
Forget any concerns about complacency. Steve Kerr, Grant Hill, and USA Basketball gave one of the NBA’s most dangerous duos the extra boost they might have needed. Come October, it will be all business.
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