Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t talk much, not in headlines, or in beefs, not even in soundbites. He plays, dominates, and wins. And occasionally, he claps back in the most Giannis way possible. But this time? The “Greek Freak” traded in his smile for shade, and fans across the league noticed. The timing? Impeccable. The target? Obvious. The platform? Instagram, of course.
Giannis dropped back-to-back Instagram Stories that have NBA X and fans everywhere scrambling to screenshot before they vanish. The first featured a photo of his massive trophy collection, MVPs, DPOY, All-NBA honors, even that elusive Finals MVP, with a quiet, humbling caption, “Never had the chance to slow down and see how far I’ve come ”. Cool. Classy. Reflective. Right? But then came the second post, “Under achiever my ”. Boom. No @, no name drop — just a mic drop. And everyone knew exactly who it was for.
That one phrase, “underachiever my ,” was clearly aimed at none other than Stephen A. Smith, who just days prior on ESPN’s First Take, launched into a passionate, headline-grabbing rant. “He’s one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” Smith said. “But with all that greatness, he’s an underachiever if he doesn’t win another championship.” But Giannis wasn’t the only one making noise.
While he flexed his accolades with a smirk and some emojis, ESPN was making its statement, a lot quieter, but maybe more telling. According to multiple reports, ESPN is scaling back Stephen A. Smith’s NBA assignments starting next season. The man who’s arguably been the face of First Take and the network’s NBA coverage for years might be seeing less court time, literally. While no official statement links this directly to his Giannis take, the optics? Pretty loud. “Stephen A. Smith looking forward to working fewer NBA assignments for ESPN next year,” reported @awfulannouncing on X.
Stephen A. Smith looking forward to working fewer NBA assignments for ESPN next year https://t.co/CGukiySsiS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 30, 2025
Coincidence? Maybe. But the timing couldn’t be more ironic.
This is a Developing Story…
The post Giannis Antetokounmpo Takes Direct Swipe at Stephen A. Smith as ESPN Takes Drastic Decision appeared first on EssentiallySports.