Stephen A Smith still hasn’t figured out when to stop. A month after his sideline face-off with LeBron during the Lakers-Knicks game, the saga reignited. LeBron had kept quiet—until Wednesday, when he addressed it on The Pat McAfee Show with a calm but pointed response.
That same night, Stephen A. cranked it up, boldly claiming, “If that man put his hands on me, I would’ve swung on him.” Like he was ready to headline a boxing card.
LeBron? Didn’t waste breath. He went straight to Instagram. First, he posted a throwback clip of Stephen A. awkwardly shadowboxing. Then came the iconic Whomp Whomp meme. To top it off, he dropped some laughing emojis and finished with: “WHOMP WHOMP WHOMPPPPPPPP.” Subtle? Not even close. Effective? Absolutely.
Fast forward to this week, and things took another weird twist. Jimmy Butler had just helped Steph Curry and the Warriors survive the Play-In game against Memphis. After the win, Jimmy told TNT, “We got a hellified Batman in Steph.” He was happy to play Robin if it meant they won.
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Sports personality Stephen A. Smith arrives before the CFP National Championship college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Now here’s where Stephen A. saw an opening—and blew the door open. On NBA Countdown, he ran down his “Top Robins in the NBA” list. Smith, fully leaning into his Dr. Steven A. Smith persona, rattled off names with his usual fire. He placed Butler at 2nd and Jalen Williams followed at 3rd on that list as robins. But when he hit the top spot, things got dicey: “Hold the number one Robin—Bam! LeBron James.”
He further explained, “Let me tell you why. Let me tell you what—I’m not being disrespectful,” Smith prefaced. “He said the ball is in Luka’s hands. He doesn’t mind deferring. Luka gets him the ball, but he gets us when he wants to. He’s smart enough to do it a lot, because that is LeBron James.”
He emphasized the team dynamics: “But Luka’s the 25-year-old superstar they just traded for. Luka’s the dude that’s gonna have the ball in his hands. Luka’s the dude that’s gonna be there for the next decade.”
The moment Smith said it, eyebrows were raised. Bob Myers, his colleague, warned, “You’re gonna stir it up again.” But Stephen A. stood firm, “Listen, he’s not a Robin, okay,” before backtracking a bit. “But he said he is in this situation because he’s happy that Luka’s there. I’m only taking his words.”
Myers chimed in again, pressing the point: “But you called him one.” And Smith doubled down again: “What up, what’s up?”
Tensions were high, and the room knew it. Once again, Stephen A. had poked the bear—and everyone could feel the storm brewing. And speaking of storms, it didn’t take long for another to roll in—this time with Dallas GM Nico Harrison at the eye of it.
Stephen A Smith has some harsh for Nico Harrison over his recent admission
Fresh off the Luka Doncic trade fiasco, Nico Harrison stepped up to address the media—kind of. It was his most detailed Q&A yet, but the setup? No cameras, no recordings. Just written quotes. Not exactly the open-book moment Mavericks fans were craving.
But the real spark? Harrison’s insistence that he had zero regrets. None. “Yeah, there’s no regrets on the trade,” he said confidently. “Part of my job is to do the best thing for the Mavericks… some of the decisions I’m going to make are going to be unpopular, and that’s my job, and I have to stand by it.”
When ESPN’s Tim MacMahon pressed him about the backlash from fans and media, Harrison doubled down with the team’s new mantra: “Like I said, going forward, is defense wins championships, and we’re built on defense, and this trade cements us for that.”
That take didn’t just raise eyebrows—it lit a fire. Mavericks fans are already on edge, and doubling down only made it worse. But let’s be real here—what did you expect him to say? That he fumbled the bag and loses sleep every night? Either way, he’s getting torched.
Then came First Take, where Stephen A Smith went full throttle. “It might behoove you not to talk at all,” he snapped. “You don’t hold a press conference. You shut up and go home.” That’s cold—but also classic Stephen A.
Feb 16, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Stephen A coach Stephen A. Smith looks on against Team Shannon during the All Star Celebrity Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
And here’s the kicker: the Mavericks’ season is already in the rearview. No playoffs. No redemption arc. So why speak now? That’s what Smith, and plenty of fans, can’t wrap their heads around.
But honestly? Staying silent wouldn’t have helped either. Harrison’s trapped. Every word sounds worse than the last, and fans just want answers—or a miracle.
In the end, this isn’t just about a bad trade. It’s about trust. And right now, Mavs Nation feels like that’s been traded away too.
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