Nothing riles up Stephen A. Smith more than his beloved Knicks—and a seemingly personal attack on his profession.
Friday’s episode of First Take included some extra pep and pizzazz from the ESPN analyst after Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called out members of the NBA media while talking about Anthony Edwards and the face of the league chatter.
As arguably the most outspoken member of the NBA media in the modern day and age, Smith took great offense with James’s comments. When Molly Qerim asked him for his thoughts on the matter, Smith straightened his suit and furrowed his brow with the noble air of a general riding into battle to fight for his comrades.
“That’s some B.S. I’m gonna call it like I see it, this is straight B.S.,” Smith said. “I don’t appreciate what he said.”
If only he could leave it at that.
But the ESPN analyst instead went on a five-minute rant covering what felt like James’s entire 22-year NBA career from his Decision to join the Miami Heat to the vetoed Chris Paul trade to the Lakers.
Here are some notable snippets below:
“We could sit up there and say something smells like perfume, they’ll accuse us of saying it’s passing gas,” Smith said. “No matter what we say about these players, it’s always something for them to complain about. And I’m not saying there aren’t justifiable situations where you’re a player you should be able to clap back. But everything?
“And then when he talks about people covering the league, we know he talking about people like me. D--- it I’m going to say it, I’m going to be cocky enough to say I’m one of the people he alluded to. That’s nonsense! I challenge anybody to show somebody who loves the NBA and supports the NBA more than me… What other show you see on national television talking about the NBA more than me outside of NBA TV? Nobody!”
Smith also came to the defense of Shaq, Charles Barkley and the rest of the Inside the NBA team, who have made their fair share of criticisms toward players over the years.
At the end of the day, though, Smith should know as well as anybody else in the media that negativity always drive clicks. Unfortunately for James, his valiant swipe at the many-headed monster of NBA media may have merely turned into more monster food.
