Steve Kerr said he and Jayson Tatum don't have any beef, calling the Celtics star a "dream to coach." Read more on Boston.com.
Celtics fans showed their solidarity with Tatum (and to a lesser degree Brown, who lost out on a replacement spot on the Team USA roster to the very deserving Derrick White) in November, when they booed Kerr mercilessly when the Warriors visited TD Garden.
Kerr and Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum have a history, dating back to the 2024 Paris Olympics where Tatum logged multiple DNPs, due to Kerr's decision. This controversial coaching decision by Kerr sparked many conversations, most not happy about leaving the Celtics superstar out of the rotation.
The drama surrounding the move has quieted down in recent months as the NBA season continued but resurfaced again on Monday. Cameras caught Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown appearing to give Kerr the cold shoulder after Boston’s blowout win over Golden State.
The Boston Celtics are the defending NBA champions. That means that they have the biggest target on their back possible. Every single game they play, they are getting the other team's best shot. Boston is also not playing very well since the calendar flipped to 2025.
After avenging a loss to the Warriors, Celtics' Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum gave Warriors and Team USA coach Steve Kerr the cold shoulder when he tried to chat with the two Boston stars.
“I wouldn’t worry about the Celtics if I were one of their fans,” Kerr said. “This is normal.” The Celtics built a first-half lead on the back of their defense Monday before running away from the Golden State Warriors for a 125-85 win. It was less than two hours before tipoff when Kerr provided his perspective on his opponent’s recent slippage.
Steve Kerr explains why he skipped the presidential inauguration, with a humorous yet serious response to the question.
Kerr's Warriors repeated as champions in 2017 and ’18, and no team has done it since. “I wouldn’t worry about the Celtics if I were one of their fans,” Kerr said.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum was named an NBA All-Star for a sixth consecutive season on Thursday night, and along with Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Karl-Anthony Towns—was named an Eastern Conference starter.
Kerr has been an outspoken critic of Trump for years, even appearing at the Democratic National Convention to speak out in support of former vice president Kamala Harris ' presidential campaign. November's DNC took place in Chicago's United Center, where Kerr won three championships as a player with the Chicago Bulls.
As Kerr said, Tatum did not complain about his reduced role for the national squad, despite the fact that he was coming off an NBA championship with the Celtics at that time. Instead, the five-time All-Star humbly accepted his role for Team USA and did all he could to help the squad achieve its ultimate goal.