Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum is "hurt" by his experience during the Summer Olympics and is looking to shine at the highest level with the goal of being the NBA MVP this season.

No one will forget how Tatum appeared on the bench for multiple games with Team USA at Paris 2024, and this is now serving as "motivation" for him to achieve one of the top individual honors in the best basketball league on the planet.

Shams Charania mentioned this, and The Athletic recently expanded on the story.

Tatum reportedly told several people within USA Basketball that he is using his benching at the Olympics as motivation and has set his sights on winning the MVP, which many see as his next step after capturing his first NBA title at such a young age.

What happened to Jayson Tatum at the Olympics?

The Boston Celtics star spent time on the bench for two of the six games Team USA played on their way to the Olympic gold, averaging 5.3 points with a shooting percentage of 38.1 in 17.7 minutes per game.

It was a tough blow for Tatum, especially after leading the Celtics to 80 wins (including playoffs) and their 18th NBA championship in June.

"It was a lot to process. In the age of social media, you see everything," Tatum told Jared Weiss of The Athletic last August. "You see all the tweets, the opinions on podcasts, and on TV, with people saying whether it was a good decision or something completely outrageous."

"Obviously, I wanted to contribute more, and I had never been in a situation like that. I started playing basketball when I was 3 at the YMCA, and I had never not played, so it was different and challenging."

Tatum also spoke about his time on the bench during the team’s media day.

"Did I need extra motivation coming into the season? No, I'm not going to give credit to anyone in particular saying they’re motivating me for this season," Tatum said.

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