Stephen A. Smith Articles - Page 11

Jalen Brunson has had an incredible postseason stretch, and considering his diminutive stature, his performances throughout these NBA Playoffs have earned him high praise from many, including but unsurprisingly, gigantic New York Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith. Smith, who has long been outspoken about his Knicks fandom and likely should not be considered an unbiased […]

On Wednesday evening, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks went on the road and picked up an impressive Game 5 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 3-2 lead in their best of seven Western Conference Semifinals series. Doncic bounced back from a rough game 4 with a great showing in this one, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching search has led to speculation that former Clippers guard and NBA podcaster and analyst JJ Redick could be the team’s next selection as head coach. Recently, longtime NBA commentator Stephen A. Smith revealed his true feelings about the possibility of Redick being hired, plus his thoughts on a former NBA […]

On Tuesday evening, Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks advanced to within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals with a dominating 30-point home win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their conference semifinals series. Brunson was absolutely electric in this one, bouncing back from a rough Game 4 performance to the […]

Following a segment on Kevin Durant’s supposed unhappiness, Stephen A. Smith took to his Twitter to set the record straight. First Take did a segment on the Suns amid the team hiring former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer to replace Frank Vogul. Vogul was let go after the team was swept out of the […]

When the Phoenix Suns traded for superstar forward Kevin Durant midway through last season, he was supposed to elevate the Suns to another dimension along with Devin Booker. Then, Phoenix went out and acquired Bradley Beal last summer, giving the team a deadly-looking trio. However, the entire experiment has been nothing short of an unmitigated […]

Recently, former Los Angeles Lakers superstar center Shaquille O’Neal made waves with his comments that his late great former teammate Kobe Bryant, with whom he won three NBA Championships in LA, belongs in the GOAT (greatest of all time) discussion. “The only thing I don’t like about the [GOAT] conversation is they don’t put my […]

On ESPN’s “First Take” yesterday, Stephen A. Smith said Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tweeted an image of the now infamous trade between OKC and Los Angeles Clippers in which SGA, an NBA MVP finalist, and a whole lot more were traded by the Clippers in exchange for Paul George. But Gilgeous-Alexander never tweeted […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has had an awe-inspiring NBA career. James is coming off his 21st season and is the league’s all-time scoring leader in addition to garnering 4 championships. Still, some analysts are not convinced he holds GOAT status. Stephen A Smith explained the coaching reason he is critical of James’ ranking […]

The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers are currently dueling it out in their series opener and there was plenty of hype heading into the matchup. Firstly, it had something to do with their players. After years of seeing the same faces dominate the East, fans will be getting a fresh marquee matchup with […]

The Los Angeles Lakers decided to fire head coach Darvin Ham on Friday after two years at the helm. Many have criticized the move, including ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Smith absolutely ripped apart the Lakers on Monday morning during First Take, saying Ham essentially didn’t deserve to be let go: “He got screwed. It was […]

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are facing a tough task against the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves and their exciting young core led by Anthony Edwards. In Game 1, the Timberwolves took the series opener on the road, 106-99, led by Edwards’ 43 points, seven rebounds and three assists. The loss put the defending NBA champions in […]

Former MLB pitcher and current NESN analyst Jonathan Papelbon didn’t hold back about his feelings on ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith after Smith went in on injured Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout. “I’ve grown disgusted with his lack of availability,” Smith said. “I’ve grown disgusted with his lack of availability. What the hell are you […]

Following the Milwaukee Bucks’ loss to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, Stephen A. Smith believes that changes should be made. The Bucks were dealt with a bad hand as Giannis Antetokounmpo dealt with injuries throughout the season, including a calf strain that put him out for the entire series against […]

Jonathan Papelbon enjoyed an impressive MLB career. He was a six-time All-Star and recorded 368 saves during his time in the big leagues. Papelbon pitched for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals during his career, and recently made an eye-opening Stephen A. Smith admission about his time in Philadelphia. Papelbon addressed Smith’s […]

On Wednesday evening, James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers had a golden opportunity to come within one game of defeating the Dallas Mavericks and advancing to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in round two (in a series in which they’d likely be favored). Instead, Harden reverted to the “one of the most notorious […]

HBCU alumnus and famed media personality Stephen A. Smith recently weighed in on the controversy surrounding Colorado, Deion Sanders, and Shedeur Sanders following The Athletic’s detailed report of the occurrence of the 53 scholarship players who were ushered out of Colorado following Deion Sanders’s arrival in Boulder and what they’d been up to since they […]

Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his illustrious career, requires surgery for a torn meniscus and is expected to miss significant time. ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith isn’t sure how the Angels star keeps getting hurt: Stephen A. Smith isn't sure how baseball players like Mike Trout keep getting injured. "What […]

After the New York Knicks blew a six-point lead to the Philadelphia 76ers with less than 30 seconds remaining in Game 5, NBA fans were stunned. Perhaps no one was more stunned than media personality (and Knicks die-hard) Steven A. Smith, and he had questions: pic.twitter.com/L3bMOyS9md — Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 1, 2024 Said […]

The New York Knicks are reportedly targeting Devin Booker as a potential Jalen Brunson backcourt partner, but the Phoenix Suns’ star is reportedly quite happy staying with the only team for which he has played. And a source from his camp has now hit back at Stephen A. Smith, who recently claimed that Booker “wants […]

Rumors are already swirling after the Phoenix Suns were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Kevin Durant was reportedly not content with his role on the team. Frank Vogel is rumored to be on the hot seat. And now Stephen A. Smith is linking Devin Booker to New […]

Despite trailing by five in the final minute of Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks hit back-to-back threes and scored eight unanswered points in total to take a 2-0 series lead with a 104-101 victory. But the come-from-behind victory did not come without controversy; the 76ers are reportedly expected to file […]

HBCU alumnus and media personality Stephen A. Smith caused a social media firestorm after a clip of his comments about Donald Trump and the black community. In an appearance on Hannity, Smith appeared to insinuate that black people would support Donald Trump and find him relatable because of “what he’s going through.” What? Stephen A. Smith […]

HBCU alumnus and First Take star Stephen A. Smith is never one to shy away from controversy. The ESPN mainstay is known for his unapologetic takes on sports but he’s worked to establish himself as an all-around cultural critic via his iHeartMedia podcast The Stephen A. Smith Show. Smith often talks about non-sports topics, including the political […]

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are currently gearing up for their upcoming first round playoff series vs the Philadelphia 76ers, who earned their way into the seventh seed position by knocking off the Miami Heat on Wednesday evening in one of the Eastern Conference Play-In games. Meanwhile, the Knicks have been rolling for […]

It’s been a roller coaster of a season for the Milwaukee Bucks, but they aim to make a deep run in the playoffs regardless. The team is facing struggles ahead of their postseason matchup against the Indiana Pacers, as Giannis Antetokounmpo is dealing with injuries and Damian Lillard has problems of his own. Stephen A. […]

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the process of gearing up for their upcoming first round playoff series vs the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in the seven vs eight Play-In game on Tuesday evening. The matchup vs the Nuggets of course signifies a rematch […]

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns are set to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and, to hear ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith tell it, Durant has a lot more riding on this series than just winning and advancing: "What have you done since you departed from Steph Curry?" […]

The Milwaukee Bucks finished as the No. 3 seed of the Eastern Conference. However, the franchise hasn’t looked the same since making a head coaching change midseason. With Giannis Antetokounmpo dealing with an injury and Damian Lillard dealing with something of his own, their championship hopes are looking a bit bleak. Overall, it’s not 100 […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are preparing for the NBA playoffs. Milwaukee finished the 2023-24 regular season with 49-33 record, which was good for third place in the Eastern Conference. Almost everyone agrees that the Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard-led Bucks feature no shortage of potential, but they did not meet their lofty expectations during the regular […]

Although Stephen A. Smith wasn’t originally slated to appear on today’s edition of First Take, he surely made headlines in his comments about OJ Simpson when he called in to the show. Hall of Fame ex-NFL running back and polarizing figure OJ Simpson passed away at the age of 76 after a battle with cancer, […]

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks have been impressive in navigating a slew of injuries as of late, holding strong in the upper portion of the Eastern Conference playoff picture despite the recent unfortunate news that power forward Julius Randle would miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury sustained during a […]

When Cody Rhodes stopped by First Take last week to talk all things professional wrestling with Stephen A. Smith ahead of WrestleMania 40, the latter was excited to see him push forward, take a run at the table, and potentially leave South Philadelphia with the grandest prize in professional wrestling, the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. […]

In what is shaping up to be a Final Four showdown for the ages, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith boldly claimed that Caitlin Clark winning the championship over UConn’s Paige Bueckers is “more important” for the legacy of the Iowa star. As the Iowa Hawkeyes prepare to face off against the UConn Huskies in a highly […]

On Thursday morning, the New York Knicks received some devastating news when it was announced that power forward Julius Randle would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing right shoulder surgery, as initially reported by NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Randle had been out of the lineup since late January after sustaining the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are not necessarily having a bad season, but in the stacked Western Conference, they are seemingly headed towards the NBA Play-In Tournament, and it would be a bit of a surprise if they made a run in the playoffs, given the strength of the other teams. Stephen A. Smith made a […]

Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks are still humming along despite the slew of injuries the team is currently dealing with. The Knicks most recently defeated the Golden State Warriors on the road despite playing without OG Anunoby and others, and Brunson nearly crossed the 40-point threshold for the third straight game in his […]

The feud between the New Orleans Pelicans and Stephen A. Smith is taking on yet another chapter. The team is lashing back at Smith for claiming the franchise lied about his stats while a college basketball player. Stephen A says we lied about his stats but the stats came from his own show 🤔 https://t.co/qXhkM1xIea […]

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN was asked if Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving or Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are the “scarier” duo following the Dallas Mavericks’ 107-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets Sunday. Smith chose the Mavs star-studded duo, but there is a catch. “I’m gonna go with Kyrie [Irving] and Luka [Doncic] the […]