Stephen A. Smith Articles - Page 12

Jayson Tatum has been one of the most talked-about players on the vaunted Team USA men’s basketball roster at the Summer Olympics. However, it has not been for any positive reasons. Instead, Tatum never left the bench during the Americans’ first game vs.  Serbia, a decision by head coach Steve Kerr that has drawn criticism, […]

Popular ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith railed against Steve Kerr’s controversial decision to bench Jayson Tatum during Team USA’s 110-84 victory over Serbia to kick off their 2024 Olympics campaign. Stephen A. did not mince words in his reaction to Tatum’s Olympics DNP, calling his benching disrespectful to one of the players who led the […]

The 2024 Paris Olympics have kicked off, with Team USA’s women’s gymnastics team starting their qualifications on Sunday at Bercy Arena. Simone Biles aims to lead the U.S. to gold in Paris, following their team silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Stephen A. Smith was enthusiastic about Biles’ performance on the big stage, expressing […]

Ben Simmons has drawn the ire of many NBA fans and media members over the years. While he seemingly once displayed the potential of a superstar, Simmons has struggled to stay on the court as a result of mental and physical troubles with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. And one of Simmons’ most vocal […]

Since 1989, TNT has been one of the NBA’s primary broadcast partners. But that fruitful partnership is coming to an end. After the 2024-25 season, the NBA will be leaving the network, with Amazon set to take over. For Stephen A. Smith, this is nothing short of a major fumble for Warner Brothers Discovery, as […]

Joel Embiid raised some eyebrows recently when he made comments that seemed to suggest that his fellow Team USA teammate LeBron James is not the same player he once was. Many folks weren’t exactly pleased with what Embiid had to say, and it appears as if Stephen A. Smith was a part of that crowd. […]

LeBron James has talked many times about his dream to play in the NBA alongside his son Bronny James, and now, his dream is becoming a reality after Bronny was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers. But Stephen A. Smith thinks LeBron might have bitten off more than he can chew. The media and fan […]

Sports talk host Skip Bayless announced that he will be leaving his popular ‘Undisputed’ show soon, which has sparked rumors and innuendo about Bayless resurfacing on another network other than Fox Sports 1. On Tuesday, a report from Mike McCarthy of Front Office Sports shed light on whether ESPN will consider bringing back the former […]

It looked as though everything was going smoothly for Kawhi Leonard and Team USA in their bid to bag home the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, last week, both Team USA and the Los Angeles Clippers deemed that it was in Leonard’s best interest for him not to suit up for the […]

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has managed to tick off a lot of people in his long sports media career. The latest person to get upset? Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons’ agent, Bernie Lee. Lee has taken offense after Smith said during an appearance on “The OGs Show” podcast that the only injury he has […]

The Philadelphia 76ers will rely on a new big three this season led by Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Also in town are supporting players like Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond who will make the Sixers a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference if all goes according to plan. A […]

With the Los Angeles Clippers having lost star Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this offseason, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are under even more pressure to produce. Of course, the Clippers need to be concerned about Leonard’s injury history, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be able to play more minutes […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are staring down the barrel of an incredibly important offseason of work. After another year where their partnership of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George failed to produce a championship, there are some real questions as to whether or not George’s time with the team could be over. George opted out of […]

The New York Knicks completed a blockbuster trade for Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, and during a discussion on whether New York is a top-five team in the NBA with CJ McCollum and Kendrick Perkins, Stephen A. Smith took a bit of a shot at McCollum’s New Orleans Pelicans to make his point. “They […]

Kevin Durant received quite a bit of criticism over the past several years for leaving teams. The first instance came in 2016 when Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, with whom KD won two titles. Durant only spent three seasons with the Warriors before teaming up with Kyrie Irving (and […]

On Tuesday night, the New York Knicks pulled off a blockbuster trade for Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges. The Knicks gave up four first-round picks for the coveted two-way forward, which has fans questioning if New York overpaid. Renowned Knicks supporter and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith gave an eye-opening take on the deal. “Now […]

Stephen A. Smith is not always on the same page as his ESPN colleagues, which is perfectly normal given the debate nature of “First Take” and sports media conjecture in general, but things have gotten surprisingly tense on occasion over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, he made a claim regarding Dan Hurley’s decision to […]

Angel Reese was one of the most talked-about athletes on Sunday. It wasn’t surprising, considering how the rookie forward put up 25 points and 16 rebounds to star in the Chicago Sky’s triumph over the Indiana Fever. Following the game, social media contained happy posts from Chi-Town fans, lamentations from Fever fans, and interestingly, an […]

The underlying narrative surrounding the 2023-24 NBA campaign was can the Boston Celtics get the job done? The subplots of this enduring storyline, which justifiably developed after they were ousted by the Miami Heat twice in three postseasons, centered around Jayson Tatum’s ability to come through in the clutch and Jaylen Brown’s morale. The former […]

Stephen A. Smith has made it clear that he wants to be the highest-paid person at ESPN and the NFL is key to making that happen. Front Office Sports reporter Michael McCarthy reports that Smith being more involved on NFL coverage could be key to keeping him at ESPN along with a $20 million contract […]

Ever since Dan Hurley turned down the Los Angeles Lakers to stay as the head coach of the UConn basketball program, it seemed inevitable that JJ Redick would be the choice to fill the role, but with the Detroit Pistons moving on from Monty Williams on Wednesday, that opens up another option for the Lakers, […]

The Boston Celtics won their NBA record 18th championship on Monday, much to the delight of Boston fans who witnessed media doubt on a level the likes of which hadn’t been seen in quite some time. Despite the Celtics’ trial run in the 2021-2022 Finals and loss to the Golden State Warriors, the maturing Celtics […]

Now that the NBA Finals are over, it may not be long before JJ Redick becomes the next Los Angeles Lakers head coach. The former NBA player and current media personality has been reported as a candidate for the job since the Lakers fired Darvin Ham in early May, but there are likely some who […]

Popular sports commentator Stephen A. Smith didn’t hold back his thoughts as he blasted the Dallas Mavericks for their performance against the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. After the Mavs blew out the Celtics by 38 points in Game 4, fans expected Luka Doncic and Co. to carry the momentum on […]

Before and during Caitlin Clark’s rookie WNBA season, much of the conversation around her has centered on everything but basketball. While Clark has been criticized at times for play as her Indiana Fever struggle to maintain pace with other teams, many people have decided to more often speak on the role race has played in […]

On Wednesday evening, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks gave themselves an opportunity to make history by going down 0-3 to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, a deficit from which no team in league history has ever come back. Doncic put up solid counting stats for the third straight game but was once […]

HBCU alumnus Stephen A. Smith took to the latest episode of his podcast to weigh in on Howard University revoking Sean “Diddy” Combs’s degree and cutting all ties with him. The institution released a statement on severing ties with the disgraced hip-hop mogul after a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees. ‘The Howard University […]

Transcendent athletes often carry a double-edged sword. Their ability to resonate with people of all demographics and sports preferences prodigiously grows their respective league, but their widespread fame can also involuntarily move the conversation away from the competition. The women’s basketball world is currently experiencing this to full force, via the Caitlin Clark effect. The […]

The Los Angeles Lakers, despite being a first-round exit in this year’s playoffs, became the talk of the town this past week when reports of their hot pursuit of UConn head coach Dan Hurley came out via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Lakers even went as far as to offer a six-year, $70 million deal […]

Congratulations are in order to Savannah State University alumnus Shannon Sharpe! ESPN has agreed to a multi-year contract with Sharpe, expanding his role on the ESPN signature morning debate show, First Take, with Winston-Salem State alumnus Stephen A. Smith and host Molly Qerim. Sharpe expressed his sincerest gratitude to Smith during the announcement this morning. […]

The Dallas Mavericks find themselves in a major hole against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, as the Celtics downed the Mavericks by a score of 105-98 in Game 2 on Sunday night to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith thinks it’s an ominous sign. Teams that grab […]

Caitlin Clark is the talk of the town in the WNBA; everything she does, says, or is merely involved in sets the entire sports world ablaze. Thus, when reports came out that Clark won’t be making the Team USA roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, many came out in defense of the Indiana Fever guard, […]

Stephen A. Smith is known for sharing his views on various subjects. Now, he’s turning his attention to the entertainment industry, pondering the level of support within the Black community for Will Smith. At the 94th Academy Awards, Will Smith sparked controversy by approaching Chris Rock on stage and slapping him in response to a […]

If there is one news story in basketball surrounding the NBA that has caught the attention of fans besides the NBA Finals, it has been the Los Angeles Lakers pursuit of a new head coach in UConn’s Dan Hurley. While that has picked up steam, there is one person that is already pumping the brakes […]

James Harden will be turning 35 years of age in August, but he remains in search of his first championship in the NBA. Time is ticking on the Los Angeles Clippers guard’s career to the point where conversations about what kind of legacy he wants to leave when his career is over are ever pertinent. […]

Stephen A. Smith took to his podcast The Stephen A. Smith Show to give his take on the viral debate between him and ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. The two were sparring over the narrative that WNBA players were jealous of Caitlin Clark and that her brief altercation with Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter was an example […]

The fierce debate over Caitlin Clark’s treatment since being drafted into the WNBA has intensified since Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter hip-checked the Fever rookie following a brief back-and-forth a couple of plays before. The incident triggered a huge discussion on social media over if WNBA players are jealous of Clark and if they’re playing […]

The Los Angeles Clippers once again saw their season come to an end earlier than they would have liked when they bowed out of the 2024 NBA Playoffs in the first round after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Of course, Kawhi Leonard’s lingering injury woes played a big role in the outcome […]

Stephen A. Smtih responded to Draymond Green’s public apology to him on TNT’s pregame show prior to game 4 of the Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves series. “I also got to say something. Shaq, I was on your podcast The Big Podcast. You just mentioned Stephen A. and I said something that didn’t come out […]