There are several sports commentators who irk everyone’s last nerves. But Stephen A. Smith is near the top of the list for most people. The star of ESPN’s “First Take” has a knack for yelling at everyone he comes in contact with, even if he happens to be wrong. Over the years, he’s garnered a reputation for saying some of the most hilarious and controversial statements in the sports world. Here’s some of his most viral and controversial moments.
The rant that put Stephen A. Smith on the map. In Feburary 2008, the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol. Kwame Brown, one of the biggest bust in NBA history, was involved in the trade. This led to Smith unloading on the young big man, calling him “bonified scrub.”
Smith did not hold back when asked if JaMarcus Russell deserves a second chance in the NFL. Not only did he emphatically say no, he claimed that that Russell “stole” from the Raiders because of his poor play on the field.
Stephen A. Smith eviscerated Maggie Gyllenhaal for her performance in the 2008 film, “The Dark Knight,” saying that he would’ve preferred someone “fine” like Halle Berry, Beyoncé or Sanaa Lathan. Calling an an actress ugly on live television is crazy, even if you didn’t love her performance.
Before LeBron James won four championships, people wondered if he could ever win at all. But that didn’t stop Scottie Pippen from saying that he thinks James is the “greatest player to ever play the game” back in 2011. This led to Smith going on an epic rant and calling the statement “blasphemous.”
Smith had a reputation of ripping professional athletes who would get suspended for smoking marijuana, leading him to creating the phrase, “Stay of the weed!” It started with former Browns receiver Josh Gordon and has continued to this day.
In July 2014, Smith made one of the biggest mistakes in his career during a “First Take” segment in which they were discussing the video of Ray Rice hitting his fiancé. Stephen A. seemed to suggest that violence against women is warranted if a man is provoked. Just listen and you can see where Smith was wrong.
This is was just weird, as Smith told Kevin Durant on live television back in 2015, “You don’t want to make an enemy out of me.”
Another all-time rant. After the 2015 NBA Draft, Smith and many other New York Knicks fans weren’t happy with the team selecting Kristaps Porzingis. This rant lad to the infamous phrase (and meme), “We have been hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run amok and flat out deceived.”
After Kevin Durant decided to join the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016, Smith called it the “weakest move I’ve ever seen from a superstar.”
In another rant about the Knicks, Smith was critical with the then team president, Phil Jackson. He hilariously said, “His very first move as an executive was to sign Lamar Odom...WHO WAS ON CRACK!”
When Lonzo Ball was coming out of UCLA, his father, Lavar Ball, was talked about on every sports outlet. Naturally, Lavar came on “First Take” and engaged in a heated argument with Smith regarding how good his son actually was.
Another reach from Smith. In 2018, when Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith was seen on the bench wearing hoodie, Smith criticized it, saying that it would remind fans of the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in 2012.
Stephen A. Smith criticized Kaepernick for essentially looking for attention after holding a workout in 2019, where he invited teams. Many in the Black community disagreed, most notably Terrell Owens, who infamously said to Smith that Max Kellerman seems “Blacker than you.”
Earlier this year, Smith was heavily criticized for saying that Black people found Donald Trump relatable because of the crimes he’s been accused of. Many disagreed.
During his most recent appearance on “The View,” Smith said he would be open to running for President of the United States, if he felt that he had a chance to win. Lord knows what Stephen A’s America would look like.
