[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] recorded his first career Olympic double-double on Saturday, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds during a 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico.
The former Blue Devils star only played 23 minutes and made four of his nine attempts from the floor. He tacked on three assists and two steals for his final box score.
After the Team USA coaching staff decided not to play Tatum during the opening game against Serbia, he appeared in the starting five against Puerto Rico. Over the last two games of group play, Tatum averaged 7.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
A newly crowned NBA champion, Tatum seeks his second consecutive gold medal after his turn on the victorious men’s basketball squad in Tokyo. He’d become the first Duke basketball alum with multiple gold medals.
He’s already made Blue Devils history by becoming the first Duke player with multiple All-NBA First Team selections after he made his third in a row this season.
🚨 DOUBLE-DOUBLE ALERT: Jayson Tatum just notched the first double-double of his Olympics career, with a clean 10 points and game-high 10 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals. pic.twitter.com/zvvNfPARPV
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) August 3, 2024
The United States advanced to the quarterfinals with the victory, taking the No. 1 overall seed into the elimination bracket.