“Am I really seeing Jayson Tatum’s mommy cry?”- George Karl roasts Celtics star’s mom coming to his defense

Hall of Fame coach George Karl took a sly dig at Jayson Tatum’s mother Brandy Cole after she demanded an explanation behind his son’s DNP in the Olympic semifinal game against Serbia in Thursday. Tatum played no part in Team USA’s nerve-racking 95-91 win over Nikola Jokic and Co. as coach Steve Kerr elected to keep the Boston Celtics superstar on the bench.

Tatum’s mother penned her frustration after her son received his second consecutive DNP against Serbia in the ongoing Olympics. Cole confirmed that Tatum is not injured and demanded answers for coach Kerr’s “unacceptable” decision.

“No he not. But if you find out what’s going on please let me know – unacceptable and makes NO SENSE,” Cole wrote on X (formerly Twitter) while replying to ESPN’s Dick Vitale who wondered if Tatum was injured.

Karl, who won the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2013, responded to Tatum’s mother voicing her frustration with coach Kerr’s decision.

“Am I really seeing Jayson Tatum’s mommy crying and upset about his playing time in the Olympics?!” Karl said in a tweet.

In another tweet, the former NBA coach also criticized basketball fans and pundits for agreeing with Cole’s frustration over her son’s playing time.

“And almost as amazed by all the folks here that think it’s ok. Must be more Dukies and Celtics fans on here than I thought!!” the HOF coach said.

Responding to an X user who said “Tatum is getting screwed,” Karl suggested that the Celtics superstar shouldn’t take it personally, reminding the reigning NBA champion is not a child.

“Whether he is or isn’t, is he 8 years old??” Karl replied.

Steve Kerr on not playing Jayson Tatum

Team USA coach Steve Kerr on Friday offered a clarification on his decision to keep Jayson Tatum on the bench in the semifinal. The veteran coach affirmed that the 26-year-old forward hadn’t done anything wrong.

“It’s not what I’m not seeing from Jayson; it’s what I’ve seen from the other guys,” Kerr said, as quoted by The Boston Globe.

“Like I’ve said many times during this tournament and the last six weeks, it’s just hard to play 11 people, even in an NBA game,” he added.

Furthermore, the Golden State Warriors coach attributed Tatum’s DNP to a “math problem”, especially with Kevin Durant returning from injury.

“Our second unit was not great last night, but that group has been one of the bright spots on this team, especially on the defensive end,” Kerr continued.

“So it’s not about what Jayson is doing or not doing. It’s just about combinations and the way that group has played together, the way Kevin (Durant) has filled in since he came back from his injury. It’s just a math problem more than anything,” he added.

Tatum has missed two of the five Team USA games in the ongoing quadrennial competition so far.