Dave Portnoy wished harm on a human being because his favorite basketball team lost.
The New York Knicks are one victory away from ending the Boston Celtics’ title defense. They take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 of the second-round series Wednesday night.
Unsurprisingly, Portnoy is acting like a sore loser with no sense of basic decency. The Barstool Sports founder bragged about presenting himself as the worst kind of sports fan when running into Knicks star Mikal Bridges, who made key defensive plays at the end of New York’s Game 1 and 2 wins before scoring 23 points on Monday.
“I saw Mikal Bridges in the hotel this morning. I gave him a subtle, ‘Hey, don’t break your wrist,'” Portnoy said Wednesday.
Most of the replies to Portnoy’s comment aren’t fit to print, and not everyone believes he actually said that to Bridges. However, many observers bashed him for the insensitive remark.
“I can’t say enough how much of a loser Portnoy is,” a social media user said.
“This guy is so unlikeable,” another person said.
“This dude is such an insufferable loser,” a commenter declared.
Portnoy’s message is especially maddening since he just witnessed a devastating injury. The Celtics confirmed Tuesday that Jayson Tatum underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon suffered at the end of Monday night’s loss.
The 48-year-old struck a much different tone in response to Tatum’s injury, calling the situation “bigger than sports.”
“I don’t even know who won and lost. I stopped watching. I only care about Tatum and his health,” Portnoy claimed. “He’s given this city so much. That was a great game marred by that injury. I don’t care if you’re a Knicks fan, Celtics fan, who won or lost should be the last thing on your mind. It should only be prayers for Jayson Tatum.”
Seems like Portnoy wouldn’t say the same thing if a Knicks player got hurt during a Celtics victory. He doesn’t appear to care about players as people unless they’re wearing the laundry associated with his preferred team.
Related: Prayers Pouring In for Jayson Tatum After Scary Injury