Kerr jokes how Celtics fans, unhappy with Tatum, will greet him originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steve Kerr knows exactly how Boston Celtics fans will greet him at TD Garden on Wednesday night. Or is it?
The Warriors coach responded with perfect tongue-in-cheek on Tuesday when asked how warm a reception he expects from Celtics fans, who turned their ire on Kerr this summer when he benched Boston forward Jayson Tatum during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris .
“I’m excited. I think the fans are really going to cheer me on,” Kerr told KNBR’s “Tolbert & Copes” in a response dripping with sarcasm. “Because you know what I did this past summer, I played against Jrue Holiday and Derrick White a lot, and given that both guys are Celtics and the fact that Tatum also played a big role in the proceedings, all three guys important factors and we won the gold medal.
“This is America. It’s the day after Election Day. I think Celtics fans will welcome me with open arms, and maybe even bouquets of roses. … sincerely.”
Tatum received two DNP-CDs during the Olympics (did not play due to the coach’s decision) and sometimes played sparingly in matches. Boston fans were unhappy with Tatum’s role in Kerr’s rotations, even though the Celtics star took the high road when asked about his role.
Kerr’s decisions worked in Team USA’s favor, however, as they defeated France to take home the gold – but he understands why it was so difficult for fans to see a player of Tatum’s caliber on the bench.
“I spoke to the team before the first training and we talked about it,” Kerr previously told Tolbert & Copes in an interview in August. “The elephant in the room is that every guy here is going to the Hall of Fame eventually. So, how do we figure out how to play, how to compose [lineup] combinations and I said, ‘I’m going to ask you all to just win and put everything else aside, all the usual NBA BS.’
“The boys all coped with it really well, other players were really good at supporting Jayson and Joel [Embiid]but these are guys who are world-class players, and no one is used to seeing them play so few minutes. So it’s just a strange spectacle, I understand that.”
Many Celtics and NBA fans joked online that Kerr created a monster after Tatum torched the New York Knicks on opening night of the 2024-2025 season.
And while Boston fans may be torching Kerr themselves on Wednesday, the Warriors coach is likely more concerned with making sure Tatum doesn’t go off to Golden State.
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