Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to fiery debates and headline-worthy takes, but every now and then, even the most seasoned voices in sports media slip up. This time, it was a major blunder involving legendary coach Nolan Richardson that had people raising eyebrows. In an era where every word is dissected and replayed, Smith’s misstep wasn’t going to buried under the carpet. And when a 7x All-Star decided to chime in with a brutal reality check, things went from bad to worse.
Former NBA star Joe Johnson took to social media and posted a story on Instagram. In the story, he shared a clip of Stephen A. Smith committing the blunder and calling Nolan Richardson dead. Joe Johnson captioned the story, “@stephenasmith Nolan Richardson is still alive bruh!” Delivering the facts straight to him for the world to see. And giving him a reality check in the process.
As of late, Stephen A. Smith has been involved in a whirlwind of blunders. Almost to say, his recent appearances have been a comedy of errors. Be it this recent case or calling out LeBron James unnecessarily on live TV, Stephen A. Smith has made a habit of apologizing as of late. After causing confusion and comedy at the expense of Nolan Richardson, by insinuating that he is dead. Stephen A. Smith clarified that he in fact knows that the Hall-of-Fame basketball coach is alive during a segment on First Take.
SAS began by explaining that he indeed knows Richardson is alive, in fact, he always knew. He said, “I am fully aware that Nolan Richardson is alive. Trust me. I apologize for that, I don’t know why I said, ‘God rest his soul.’ I know he’s alive, I’ve always known that. So, I just wanted to make sure I made that clear before we moved on to the show. I don’t want anybody thinking I thought the man was gone, I did not. I know he’s alive.” He apologized, albeit a little unconvincing, but to his credit, he still undertook the notion. Much to everyone’s surprise, he offered an apology to his recent arch enemy.
Apologies trending from Stephen A. Smith to LeBron James
Even if we are to give Stephen A. Smith the benefit of the doubt, this still comes as his second apology in recent times. Following his very public squabble with LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith decided to call him out. He accused the Lakers superstar of intentionally missing the memorial service held for Kobe Bryant following his death in 2020. This was because of an appearance LeBron made on the Pat McAfee Show, which happened earlier this week.
He then apologized again and released a post on X, saying, “My apologies and clarification. I misspoke in Hour#1 of @firsttake today when I intimated that LeBron did not attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial. I corrected myself in Hour#2 when I acknowledged he was indeed in attendance. My mistake. Should not have even broached that subject.” Again, a little weird, as it comes from an established journalist who was apparently misinformed, again.
Credits: Imago
Regardless, the succession of errors does not bode well for Stephen A. Smith. But, if we know anything about the boisterous ‘First Take’ host, it sure won’t be the last time he messes up. But one can hope. So, let us hope he does not make such blunders in the days to come.
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