As the Olympic flame dims in Paris, the chatter among basketball aficionados isn’t about who won, but about who might just sit out in 2028. Cue Jayson Tatum, who has been skillfully dodging questions about his potential participation in the Los Angeles Games, leaving fans and commentators reading between the lines. Enter Gilbert Arenas, the ever-controversial NBA veteran, who has tossed a new twist into the mix, dragging none other than Caitlin Clark into the conversation.
Yes, you heard that right. Arenas, never one to shy away from stirring the pot, likened Tatum’s Olympic hesitation to Caitlin Clark’s bold decision to skip the WNBA 3-point contest during All-Star Weekend. The reasoning? Clark, the queen of downtown, simply decided she needed some well-deserved R&R. Talk about a curveball no one saw coming. “What can Caitlin Clark do to them at the All-Star Weekend? ‘I think I need some rest. Y’all looking for the three-pointer in contest? Yeah, I need some rest,’” Arenas quipped, as if equating a potential NBA superstar’s Olympic absence to a sharpshooter taking a breather was the most natural thing in the world.
But let’s not forget, Clark’s choice to take a pass shocked many. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the reigning 3-point queen defend her crown? But maybe, just maybe, Clark’s decision wasn’t as much about rest as it was about knowing when to step back and recharge the battery—something Tatum might just be contemplating as he eyes the 2028 Olympics from the sidelines.
Tatum’s Olympic stint in 2024 was, to put it mildly, underwhelming. Limited minutes, nagging injuries, and a performance that had more fizzle than sizzle. Charles Barkley and Jeff Teague didn’t hold back, with Teague going so far as to suggest that Tatum might as well hang up his Olympic sneakers for good. Ouch.
Yet, despite the whispers and side-eyeing from the likes of Arenas, Tatum hasn’t completely closed the door on the 2028 Olympics. Sure, he’s playing it cool, talking about “careful consideration” rather than “I’m done,” but you have to wonder—could Arenas be onto something? Is Tatum, like Clark, about to pull a fast one on all of us by prioritizing his well-being over Olympic glory?
In the end, the 2028 Olympics are still four years away, and Tatum has plenty of time to decide whether he’ll be donning the red, white, and blue, or just sitting this one out. But for now, we’re left speculating and maybe, just maybe, admiring the audacity of one Caitlin Clark, who showed us all that sometimes the most powerful move is knowing when to say, “Nah, I’m good.”
