"The NBA Will Be Better Off Without Stephen A. Smith" - Jon Lewis

[pete clemenza]

One gets the sense that Stephen A. Smith one day wants to end up in the Curt Gowdy wing of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He certainly seems to see himself as a figure that will live on through history, akin to a Grantland Rice, a Howard Cosell.

Yet if one were evaluating his contributions to the game of basketball, it would be difficult to identify those that were positive. Certainly, Smith and his tag team partner Skip Bayless contributed the rings-above-all mindset to the NBA and trashed multiple generations of stars along the way. Certainly, they have disparaged and demeaned, ranted and raged, all under the guise of ‘debate.’ What else?

Perhaps 20 years ago, Smith might have done some notable interviews with the game’s players, drawing out from them thoughts and feelings otherwise unexpressed. Perhaps 30 years ago, he might have written a few columns here and there that helped tell the story of the players, the teams, the league. Today, he makes threats — and faces — in a day job that more resembles his increasing cameos on soap operas and cop shows.

Smith has built his career almost exclusively off of his opinions about the NFL and NBA, but it is only on the latter that he is a regular part of the actual game coverage. He has never held any role on ESPN’s higher-rated NFL game programming (and one can infer whatever conclusion one would like about that fact). Thus he is primarily associated with the NBA.

The sports media is and has always been symbiotic, with media members creating their careers off of the leagues that they, in turn, helped promote. Smith’s relationship with the NBA, on the other hand, has been asymmetric. He takes far more from the NBA than he has ever given; the only time he gives as good as he gets is when he is exchanging barbs with the league’s biggest stars. That includes just this week during the NBA Finals, when he made a point of diminishing Pacers G Tyrese Haliburton over a perceived slight. He went further earlier in the year, threatening to air dirty laundry of LeBron James and then making references to disputed claims about James’ attendance at Kobe Bryant’s 2020 memorial service — an insinuation for which he later apologized.

Smith’s threats are a particularly bizarre character trait. Whether Kevin Durant years ago or James earlier this season, Smith appears to believe he has something on these players — that his bully pulpit is one he can weaponize to not just criticize players when warranted, but to shame them; to harm their public standing, perceptions of their ability, and their careers.

However delusional, the intent merits some consideration. One of the faces of the NBA on television is someone who views his standing as a weapon to wage war against its players. To say the least, there is no other league that would allow someone like that on their air, and it is difficult to imagine any other organization — in sports, entertainment, politics or really any other form of business — allowing someone like that access to a national platform over which they theoretically have control.

To be clear, Smith never threatens to blow the whistle on corruption, to expose criminal behavior, to otherwise engage in what might be called journalism — but simply to embarrass. Even if his tools were more than just tossed-off rumor and innuendo, journalism done out of vengeance is not worthy of the word.

Why Smith — who worked his way up from the Philadelphia Inquirer to national ubiquity — would use his platform in such a fashion is a topic for another article, but make no mistake that it is a problem for the NBA.

After this season, Smith will leave his regular role on “NBA Countdown,” which will play second fiddle on ESPN to the TNT-produced “Inside the NBA.” While that will remedy some of the problem, Adam Silver would be wise to channel his predecessor David Stern, who per the 2011 Jim Miller and Tom Shales book “Those Guys Have All the Fun” consistently opposed Smith’s presence on ESPN’s NBA studio shows during the pundit’s first stint with the network.

Stern eventually won out and Smith was off of ESPN NBA coverage for more than a decade — until the network entrusted an overhaul of its NBA production to the executive in charge of “First Take,” David Roberts. In a wider (and ultimately botched) rebuild, Roberts brought in Smith as part of a transformation of ESPN’s NBA studio into a debate show outpost.

Smith likes to taunt that he’s ‘going nowhere,’ and that is true to an extent. It is almost impossible for an inflammatory TV personality to disappear from public life in a media system that prizes riling people up as an end in itself.

But that does not mean he has to have the valuable showcase of the NBA Finals.
The photo that went viral Friday of Smith playing solitaire during gameplay of Friday’s NBA Finals Game 4 may not necessarily be fair — as Bryan Curtis of The Ringer noted, he is surely not the first media member to play idly on the phone during a game — but it speaks to the sense that Smith really has no use for the game, except as a means by which to promote himself and exercise whatever power he believes he has. He seems far more animated by his various feuds, and his ability to shape perceptions of players, than by anything to do with the action between the lines.

Though Smith seems to be well-liked by the “Inside the NBA” crew, the hope here is that next season his provocations, insinuations and delusions of grandeur will be limited to “First Take,” rather than showcased during the biggest NBA games of the season. Smith has plenty of platforms to goad and inflame without having to do so in a cameo on “Inside.”

It is hard to explain why someone who believes he is bigger than the game — and seems to take pleasure in exercising the leverage he believes is afforded him by his platform — should then get to draft off of its popularity. If the NBA has benefited from having Smith as the face of its primary television broadcast, it is hard for this writer to see it.

 

[Jplaya2023]

Yes i have read the comments from Jon Lewis regarding my place in NBA sports media. Although he has a right to his opinion, I will be addressing his post in more detail on the next Stephen A Smith show weekdays at 4PM on youtube.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

God I love this

Man I wish David Stern was still here to get this big mouf ugly ass loser off my fukkin TV

I don't understand why ESPN thinks this doofus drives ratings he is HORRIBLE...

Get him the fukk outta here

We need more hit pieces on this clown

 

[etrofllenrod504]

And he just seems to keep getting worse! Dude said if Greek Freak doesn’t win another chip his career will be considered an underachievement! Like this man is a cancer to the NBA. All he does is shyt on the current stars and if they are somewhat decent he cripples the fans mindset cause he immediately compares them to Jordan at every chance. Then the fans hate said player cause they can’t stop glazing MJ or deem player a failure cause they holding them to some MJ standard of Gold. Look at Ant

 

[ajnapoleon]

And he just seems to keep getting worse! Dude said if Greek Freak doesn’t win another chip his career will be considered an underachievement! Like this man is a cancer to the NBA. All he does is shyt on the current stars and if they are somewhat decent he cripples the fans mindset cause he immediately compares them to Jordan at every chance. Then the fans hate said player cause they can’t stop glazing MJ or deem player a failure cause they holding them to some MJ standard of Gold. Look at Ant

I’m telling you

That “what Jordan would have said”


Is fukking up the nba

 

[West Coast Avenger]

No lies told..... ....

 

[Remote]

Maybe the best article I’ve seen shared on the coli all year.

 

[etrofllenrod504]

I’m telling you

That “what Jordan would have said”


Is fukking up the nba

I was literally watching first take had some fool shytting on SHA when JWill scored 40 talking about Jordan would’ve never let the second option have more points than him

 

[ajnapoleon]

I was literally watching first take had some fool shytting on SHA when JWill scored 40 talking about Jordan would’ve never let the second option have more points than him

wtf

I wanna tell those people that love Jordan


“You should have stopped watching the nba at 2002”

 

[L $ C]

big big time, hes one of the worst things that the nba has going for it

ESPN needs to take him off TV i dont get what nude pics he has of them its awful

 

[Stick Up Kid]

I dont think i ever seen blacks and white unite for a cause like this in years...NOBODY likes Stephen A.

 

[RedBull]

SAS is a victim of wanting to be revered and ESPN’s greed. A marriage made in hell, but prosperous for the powers that be.

SAS parrots EXACTLY what the suits of ESPN wants, hot takes, contrived storylines and scenarios, comparing every player, every era, every win, and every loss. Even down to diminishing players greatness, importance, and legacies. And as much as we complain, the ratings speak for themselves and that means the average sports fans loves to watch him. Purists loathe him…until he speaks well of their favorites. Everything that comes out his mouth is scripted and improvised at the same time.

Unfortunately he’s here to stay and he’ll only become more powerful in sports talk. He sold himself for exactly what he’s getting now: fame, notoriety, riches, his face and voice plastered everywhere. The bad thing is that he gained it under the guise of “sports journalism”. People really look at him as the voice of basketball and Black related issues, and they follow him blindly because of the power of his audio and optics, loud but articulate, and well dressed. Traits of a yesteryear hustler preacher.

He’s the leader of the new school and just like Busta, he’s everywhere except home.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

SAS is a victim of wanting to be revered and ESPN’s greed. A marriage made in hell, but prosperous for the powers that be.

SAS parrots EXACTLY what the suits of ESPN wants, hot takes, contrived storylines and scenarios, comparing every player, every era, every win, and every loss. Even down to diminishing players greatness, importance, and legacies. And as much as we complain, the ratings speak for themselves and that means the average sports fans loves to watch him. Purists loathe him…until he speaks well of their favorites. Everything that comes out his mouth is scripted and improvised at the same time.

Unfortunately he’s here to stay and he’ll only become more powerful in sports talk. He sold himself for exactly what he’s getting now: fame, notoriety, riches, his face and voice plastered everywhere. The bad thing is that he gained it under the guise of “sports journalism”. People really look at him as the voice of basketball and Black related issues, and they follow him blindly because of power of his audio and optics, loud but articulate, and well dressed. Traits of a yesteryear preacher.

He the leader of the new school and just like Busta, he’s everywhere except home.

It‘s basically a reality TV housewives of Atlanta, Basketball wife formula with that sassy goofball Stephen A goin at players and yellin at people.

He is repulsive

 

[The_Sheff]

I don’t understand. If you all hate this dude so much why aren’t yall watching the shows and discussing the other “analysts” all over these airwaves?

The only thing that gets discussed are other even hotter takes from podcasters.

Tim Legler had a show and you couldn’t pay people to watch it.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

I’m telling you

That “what Jordan would have said”


Is fukking up the nba

BIG TIME

How many times is his goofy ass gonna say “THIS BROTHA CAN PLAY HE AIN’T NO SCRUB”