ESPN pundit hopes Celtics' Jayson Tatum 'embarrasses' Warriors' Steve Kerr

When Steve Kerr kept Jayson Tatum on the bench for most of Team USA's 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal run , he didn't just piss off Tatum and Celtics fans. He caught the continual ire of ESPN's top media personality Stephen A. Smith.

With the Warriors in Boston to take on the Celtics on Wednesday, Smith once again went on a tirade against Kerr for his benching of Tatum, saying on "First Take" that he's rooting for Tatum to score 50 points against the Warriors.

"I hope Jayson Tatum embarrasses him. I hope they destroy — I'm not rooting against the Warriors, I'm just talking about Jayson Tatum going out there and putting on a show," Smith said. "... I hope Jayson Tatum busts their ass, and I'm not talking about the Warriors and Draymond [Green]. I'm talking about Steve Kerr."

Smith said he understood Tatum was struggling in Team USA practices, and said he does believe Kerr is one of the best coaches in NBA history. Still, Smith said that Kerr benching Tatum while playing two of his Celtics teammates, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, was "incredibly insulting" to Tatum.

"To be as great as you are as a coach and to say beforehand, 'I'm not going to be able to find any time within a 40-minute span for you, who's the reigning champion and you're that elite,'" Smith said to his guest host/debate partner Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. "Don't give me that, 'This is Team USA, 40 minutes instead of NBA basketball, 48 minutes.' It's Jayson Tatum. To do that, to me, is egregious."

Smith also pointed out that Warriors star Steph Curry was "awful" to start the Olympics, but Kerr stuck with Curry until he exploded in the semifinals and gold medal game. Even with the Americans winning gold, Smith felt Kerr and Team USA should not have put Tatum on the roster if he was not going to play.

"He didn't have to be there," Smith said. "He had better things to do with his time than to show up in Paris and have his brand sullied because you can't find playing time for him because there's 10 other dudes you're looking at."

Smith was mad at Kerr all throughout the summer, taking up several segments on " First Take " and on his " Stephen A. Smith Show " even as Team USA kept winning. He's continued to bring it up since, including on his eponymous podcast in September and then after the first night of the NBA season in October.

Tatum may get the chance to go for 50 points on Wednesday night, as his co-star Jaylen Brown won't play against Golden State because of a hip injury. The Warriors and Celtics are scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN .