Dave Portnoy Makes Dramatic Declaration Over Jayson Tatum Benching

Jayson Tatum's Team USA benching Thursday ignited the NBA world with multiple takes all around, including from the most prominent and loudest personalities on social media.

The Boston Celtics star did not play a minute in Team USA's win over Seria in the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament in the Paris Summer Olympics. It ignited demands from head coach Steve Kerr to explain his actions from Green Teamers and even the All-NBA star's mother and father.

Kerr highlighted a "math problem" with his 10-man rotation and how well Kevin Durant, who reportedly will start in the gold medal game Saturday, led the second unit. Fans and multiple former NBA players weren't buying the excuse, and Dave Portnoy went further in his anti-Kerr stance.

The Barstool Sports founder Friday posted a response to Patrick Beverly, who found that Tatum drama strange since the United States is one win away from winning the gold medal.

"I want to be very clear. I am rooting for France to beat the USA in the gold medal basketball game," Portnoy posted on X. "My (allegiances) are far stronger to @jaytatum0 than dodo brain Steve Kerr and Bron Bron (LeBron James)."

Portnoy's post also included a three-minute video where he reiterated that he cares more about the Celtics than how the United States performs in the Olympics. And because he feels Tatum was embarrassed by Kerr for the two games he did not play against Serbia in the Olympics, he will root against the U.S. to spite them. Unsurprisingly, Portnoy did not hold back when given pushback from fans.

Tatum has played in the Olympics in non-Serbia matchups, but it's unlikely fans will get a clear answer as to why Kerr and the coaching staff didn't prefer the Celtics star against Serbia. He will likely play against France, but there might be supporters like Portnoy who hope Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert led the French to an upset win.