Celtics

Jayson Tatum gives himself Olympic-themed nickname following Team USA’s triumph

"'Gold Medal Jay' when you see me please!"

By Trevor Hass

August 7, 2021

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After helping the United States outlast France, 87-82, and win it all at the Tokyo Olympics, Jayson Tatum has one simple request.

“‘Gold Medal Jay’ when you see me please!” Tatum tweeted early Saturday morning.

The Celtics star scored 19 points and added seven rebounds for Team USA in the finale, hitting 8 of his 14 shots, 3 of 5 3-pointers, and adding a steal. France — anchored by Rudy Gobert, former Celtics player Evan Fournier and Guerschon Yabusele — consistently hung around, but Tatum and Kevin Durant were key as the United States found a way.

In the photo where he refers to himself as “Gold Medal Jay,” Tatum has a huge grin. “St. Louis to Tokyo… whole lot to smile about!” he wrote.

Tatum became the sixth Celtics player to win a gold medal, and the first since Larry Bird with the Dream Team in 1992.

Teammate Jaylen Brown showed some love Saturday on Twitter.

Former Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge congratulated Tatum, along with Fournier and Yabusele, for “an outstanding Olympic performance.”

Jon Scheyer, who coached Tatum during his Duke days, pointed out that Tatum is the first person in history to win championships with the 16U, 17U, 19U, and senior squads. Many with Celtics ties also congratulated him, including former assistant coach Kara Lawson and teammate Shane Larkin. The Patriots also gave him a shoutout.

Tatum added one more tweet himself and said: “We linked forever,” about his USA teammates.