Inside the NBA's Kenny Smith Gives Honest Dose of Reality To Stephen A. Smith Over Kyrie Irving Slander
Inside the NBA's Kenny "The Jet" Smith hit ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith with a dose of reality.
Smith wasn't a fan of Stephen A.'s hot takes and jabs thrown at Kyrie Irving when the NBA All-Star played for Brooklyn in 2022.
"Kyrie Irving is one of the most selfish superstars we've ever seen," Smith previously said about Irving.
Stephen A. started some beef with Irving, criticizing the player for his off-court drama during his time with the Nets.
READ: Brooklyn Nets Suspend Kyrie Irving, With No Pay
Now that Kyrie, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are one game away from the NBA Finals — with an impressive 3-1 series lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves — perhaps Stephen A. was dead wrong about Kyrie as a player and person.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 08: Stephen A. Smith attends a playoff basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on May 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, the Inside the NBA crew previewed Game 4 at American Airlines Center. Kenny and Charles Barkley credited Kyrie Irving for being a standout No. 2 player to Luka Doncic. Stephen A. Smith argued that Irving had character issues, which is why the Brooklyn Nets "cut their losses" with Kyrie by sending him to the Mavericks.
The Jet gave credit to Irving and shared a story about a frank conversation with Stephen A. while he was bad-mouthing Kyrie with the Nets in 2022.
"I’ve never said it to Kyrie [Irving] but I’ve said it to Stephen A. [Smith] because at one time, Stephen A. was an advocate about having a battle with this guy. I had to call Stephen and I’m like, ‘This guy’s from our neighborhood.’
"I named like six people and I said, ‘Stephen, those people mentioned you,’ they mentioned him [Smith]. When you say something about him, you’re actually saying it about us."
WATCH:
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 24 : The TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax broadcasts live before the game on October 24, 2023 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NBAE via Getty Images)
It's not the first time Stephen A.'s been dead wrong about a topic. Last year, SAS tried to convince OutKick's Clay Travis that supporting "DEI" is good for the nation and invited Michael Eric Dyson (yikes) to aid his defense of DEI.
Smith's handsomely paid by the Mothership, but his commentary is completely fallible.
Irving faced significant suspension by the Nets over the vaccine mandate at the time and for a separate ‘incident’ where Irving shared a link to a film that ‘promoted’ radical beliefs.
Stephen A. said Irving had an availability issue and should've considered retirement after his stint in Brooklyn. His commentary sounded fair by ESPN standards, leaning more on conjecture than analysis. Smith's shot at Kyrie looks like it air-balled.
DALLAS, TX - MAY 28: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 28, 2024 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
As Kenny Smith put it, he's just glad he no longer has to listen to the ESPN Talking Head rant about Irving's personal beliefs.
Stephen A. Smith said on his eponymous YouTube Show last week that he never criticized Kyrie's character but his availability instead.
(Should Stephen A. Smith fess up to his freezing cold take? Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com)
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