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Stephen A. Smith used his platform on ESPN First Take to respond to Steve Kerr's apparent slight of him during the Warriors pre-game presser last night. Kerr spoke about media criticism of Stephen Curry's leadership that had become a topic following Draymond Green's suspension after striking Jusuef Nurkić in the team's Tuesday game vs. the Suns.
“Steph is as good of a leader as I've ever been around. I mean the guy is an amazing human being and what he's done the past decade in leading this team through all of the ups and the downs and the turmoil…or anybody to question Stephen Curry’s leadership, it’s actually kind of sickening to me. Disgusting.”
Kerr appeared to be responding to Smith comments that were made on Wednesday's episode of First Take where he was joined by Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Jay Williams.
“Since you want to go there, let's go there,” Stephen A. Smith said to Jay Williams during the discussion. “What about Steph Curry? You are the leader. If this were a teammate of LeBron James, we'd be asking LeBron what you are going to do about it. Even though LeBron isn't the one that did something like that, we would have been asking, pointing to his leadership, his incredible role model qualities, and the impact and influence he has. We lean on all of those things to say LeBron, LeBron, LeBron. Even if it had nothing to do with LeBron, somehow, someway, we never asked that question about the Babyface assassin, who's the greatest shooter on the planet Earth. He's a four-time champion and a two-time league MVP. By the way, he is class personified. And I can't think of a greater role model than Steph Curry.”
Stephen A. Smith responded directly to Kerr on today's edition of First Take, saying, “Steve Kerr didn't mention me by name. I'll mention Steve Kerr by name. I'm disgusted with him…No one is questioning Steph Curry as a leader. What we said was, ‘If that were LeBron James, we would have said where are you?' So, in this particular instance, we're not talking about behind-the-scenes. We're talking out front and center. We were asking Steph Curry. Where are you on this? Because you're such a great leader. Because you're such a phenomenal individual. Because you're the closest thing to perfection that I think most of us have ever seen as a professional athlete. We're asking about the impact that you've seemingly been unable to have. On a teammate who loves and reveres you.”
Smith continued, directing his commentary at Kerr.
“Steve Kerr twisted it because we want to sit up there. I don't even want to use the words you understand that, that, that, that I'm tempted to in terms of him fawning over Steph Curry. We all fawn over Steph Curry. Why would you try to twist it like that? You trying to tell me that Steph Curry's not a human being? That every single thing about him is absolutely, positively perfect? That we can't sit here while revering him, and respecting him, and appreciating everything about him? We can't simply sit here and say, Yo! You of all people, you might be able to have an impact on Draymond Green, whether we're right or wrong or that I'm just talking about speculating about that because of the phenomenal person, athlete, and professional that Steph Curry has proven to be.”
Molly Qerim: “Would you smile Stephen A.?”
SAS: “No, I'm not smiling. I got more to say about Steve Kerr. It just ain't suitable for FCC airwaves so let's move on.”
“You got the Stephen A. Smith show”
“No, I'm not gonna do it there either.” 👀pic.twitter.com/dbnV9yyeVc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 15, 2023
Later, Stephen A. looked visibly upset and Molly Querim implored him to smile. Stephen A. simply said, “No, I'm not smiling. I got more to say about Steve Kerr. It just ain't suitable for FCC airwaves so let's move on.”
Querim asked if he'd address it on his podcast “The Stephen A. Smith Show”, in which he said, “No, I'm not gonna do it there either.”
It seems as if Smith took high offense to Kerr's comments and there might be a broader conversation between the two coming soon.
