Stephen A. Smith is known for pushing boundaries with his untamed takes, but his latest comments on Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving have taken things to new heights. As Smith continues to push his narrative that Irving is unreliable and “a professional at missing work,” the ESPN talking head dropped a wild comment connecting Irving's frequent absences for the Nets to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“When Russia bombed Ukraine, I thought Kyrie Irving wasn't going to show up to work,” Smith said. “I literally sat there and thought ‘Is this man going to skip work?'”

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We're really not sure how Smith landed at this comparison, or why this was among his first thoughts after the news broke of an international conflict. Nevertheless, Smith wildly claimed that he instinctively thought about whether Kyrie would show up for the Nets after hearing that Russia bombed Ukraine, leaving many fans confused as to the point of his statement.

Smith has been blasting the Nets star for his work ethic throughout the playoffs, going as far as to say he'd hand Irving a $50 million contract for one season, but would not trust the point guard on a multi-year contract due to his lack of availability.

The reality of the situation is that Irving, and particularly his availability for the Nets throughout the regular season, has been a hot topic of late, and any chance Smith gets to throw out a ludicrous take that will catch people's attention, he's going to take it. He's absolutely reaching with these wild remarks, but that won't stop him from pushing the same narrative until the well dries out.