Stephen A. Smith is never one to back down from a confrontation, and he recently picked a fight with the New Orleans Pelicans. After a segment where he was critical of Zion Williamson's weight, the Pelicans social media team fired back, reposting a video showing Stephen A. Smith missing jump shots that he was attempting on the basketball court, as well as boxing to showcase him being a subpar athlete.
The audio on the video was also a throwback of him giving his assessment of Kwame Brown's involvement in the Pau Gasol trade in February 2008, where he called Brown a “bona fide scrub.” Smith shot back on Wednesday's edition of ESPN's First Take, even touting his HBCU credentials.
“You left something out and you know what? You left out the fact that I was in the fourth grade and I got left back because I had a first-grade reader level. And here I am on national television after graduating from an HBCU, going up against Hall of Famers all the time who played professional sport…elite journalists in this business, and me coming from an HBCU still doing what I'm doing.”
Smith is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University and has done significant HBCU philanthropy over his career. He's also used the platform of First Take to spotlight HBCUs and HBCU athletics, but Smith often cites his HBCU connection in the many feuds and wars of words that he engages in.
Nevertheless, the Pelicans are undeterred, as they posted a response tweet to Smith's rant with a caption saying, “five-minute monologue to a former NBA player on how to shoot.” The feud will eventually calm down, but Stephen A. is resolute in letting it be known that he is not to be played with.
