STEPHEN A SMITH

Stephen A. Smith Will Not Face Punishment From ESPN For Alleged HIPAA Violation

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On August 21, Stephen A. Smith commented on Lonzo Ball’s meniscus injury during an episode of First Take on ESPN. Smith claimed that a source had told him that Ball was struggling to sit down and stand up. Ball responded, showing his ability to stand and sit up while asking Smith who his sources were. Smith, shockingly, responded on The Stephen A. Smith Show, revealing that Ball’s doctors had given him the information.

This was seemingly confirmation that Smith had committed a HIPAA violation. HIPAA is legislation that regulates how private medical information is used. In fact, in Smith’s case – the burning of his source revealed two such violations. The first was Ball’s medical team divulging private medical information to Smith. The second was Smith broadcasting that information on national television. However, according to ESPN, Smith won’t face reprimand for this serious breach of journalistic ethics.

Read More: Stephen A. defends $3000 basketball camp…by saying he does a lot of work for HBCUs?

ESPN Distances Themselves From Smith Controversy

“We don’t have anything to add from the ESPN side here. His podcast is separate from his ESPN role,” an ESPN spokesperson told HotNewHipHop on August 24. From this, it’s clear that ESPN‘s view is that any comments Smith makes on The Stephen A. Smith Show are not to be conflated with his role at the network. Thusly, Smith seemingly admitting to violating HIPAA should not be reflected in his relationship with ESPN.

Except, the information was first revealed to the public on an ESPN product. The entire debacle originated with Smith making these claims on First Take, his primary role with ESPN. However, regardless of whether Smith violated HIPAA, decision to a) burn a source and b) double down when presented with information that debunked your claims, is just the latest drop in a bucket of major Ls that Smith has taken of late. Ball and Smith are yet to respond to either Smith’s comments or the allegations of violating medical legislation. This remains a developing story and we’ll have any updates as and when they emerge.

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Shannon Sharpe To Join “First Take,” Start Date Revealed

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A day after revealing that he was taking Club Shay Shay to The Volume, it was announced that ESPN has also landed Shannon Sharpe. The NFL Hall of Famer will begin appearing on First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith on September 4, three days before the new NFL season kicks off. The news led the top of the August 24 episode of First Take, with Smith proudly announcing that he had got his guy.

Smith has been gunning for Sharpe ever since the latter left FS1 in June. However, it’s an interesting choice to bring Sharpe to First Take. He reportedly left Undisputed due to a growing rift with Skip Bayless, especially over some of the opinions Bayless held. Meanwhile, Smith definitely isn’t on the same level Bayless but, as we’ll discuss in a moment, has been on a string of buckwild takes as of late. However, Sharpe did just link up with a guy who appeared to forget that Dwayne Haskins was dead so who’s to say.

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Will Smith Be Around To Debate Sharpe?

ESPN and Smith appear happy now, giving the veteran broadcaster a fiery personality to debate with. But is Smith’s future at ESPN in jeopardy? The day before Sharpe’s First Take debut was announced, Smith performed an egregious violation of journalistic practices. Amid his ongoing beef with Lonzo Ball, Smith revealed that the source of his information about Ball’s injury recovery was Ball’s own medical team.

Many people have pointed out that this is several HIPAA violations in a trenchcoat and that it was shocking that such a seasoned journalist would openly reveal this. While it’s unlikely that ESPN is going to punish their main revenue earner in any notable way, it’s the latest in a string of major Ls for Smith. At the time of writing, ESPN has not responded to HotNewHipHop‘s inquiries about Smith’s comments regarding Ball.

Read More: Michael Jordan texted Stephen A. Smith his Magic Johnson defence at 6am and made him read it live on First Take

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Stephen A. Smith Claims Lonzo Ball’s Doctors Are His Sources

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A beef has erupted between injured Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball and ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith. It all began earlier this week when Smith said on First Take that a source had told him that Ball was having difficulty sitting and standing. Ball, who will miss the 2023/24 NBA season, is continuing to rehab from a torn meniscus suffered in January 2022. In response to Smith, Ball posted a video on social media, asking Smith who his sources were as he showed that he could indeed sit and stand with minimal effort.

Instead of taking the L, Smith decided to double down. “You really going to sit poolside on the bench and think because you getting up and sitting down… that makes you healthy? … Bro, you ain’t healthy,” Smith said on First Take. Smith then proceeded to further address the issue on The Stephen A. Smith Show and may have inadvertently admitted to serious journalistic malpractice in the process.

Read More: Stephen A. defends $3000 basketball camp…by saying he does a lot of work for HBCUs?

Smith Claims Source Is A HIPAA Violation

“Would you like me to tell you the names of the doctors that operated on you? I know the actual doctors…..if I said it it’s because someone close to you told me,” Smith claimed during a two-minute about Ball’s comments. Now if Smith wasn’t ESPN‘s biggest revenue stream, this two-minute clip would have just ended his career. What Smith has done here is admit, or at least claim, that his source on Lonzo Ball’s injury is the Ball’s medical team. That’s a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) violation. HIPAA regulates how your personal medical information is handled by healthcare providers and insurance companies. One of the things that the legislation protects against is medical professionals disclosing your medical information without your consent. If Smith is telling the truth, someone on Ball’s medical team illegally gave that information to Smith.

But the buck doesn’t stop there. Smith, who has been a journalist and broadcast since before HIPAA even existed, should know better than this. This is not information that you disclose. As mentioned, this would end the career of a lesser journalist. Of course, it’s not like ESPN is going to fire or punish Smith, especially after losing out on Shannon Sharpe. But somehow, Smith found a way to turn his L from earlier in the day into an even bigger L. Ball and ESPN are yet to respond to this frankly shocking revelation from a seasoned journalist who absolutely should know better.

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Michael Jordan Sends Morning Text to Stephen A. Smith Amid Magic-Steph Debate: ‘Magic Johnson Is Easily the Best Point Guard of All Time’

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Michael Jordan Makes $10 Million Donation to Make-A-Wish Foundation to Celebrate His 60th Birthday

Recently, conversation about the greatest point guard of all time has risen. The candidates are between Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry. Lately, Steph Curry claimed the throne, acknowledging Magic as his only competition. But not so fast, says Michael Jordan.

According to Stephen A. Smith, Jordan sent him a text message stating the title still belongs to Magic Johnson.

“Although greatest of anything is always a debate, I beg to differ on greatest point guard of all-time… Magic Johnson is easily the best point guard of all time. Steph Curry is very close, but not in front of Magic,” Jordan’s text read, according to Smith.

In addition to “very close,” Jordan complimented Curry, calling him “by far the best shooter of all time.”

The post Michael Jordan Sends Morning Text to Stephen A. Smith Amid Magic-Steph Debate: ‘Magic Johnson Is Easily the Best Point Guard of All Time’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Michael Jordan Sends Morning Text to Stephen A. Smith Amid Magic-Steph Debate: ‘Magic Johnson Is Easily the Best Point Guard of All Time’ appeared first on The Source.

Michael Jordan Has Stephen A. Smith Read His Magic Johnson V Steph Curry Take Live On Air

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Earlier this week, Steph Curry said he is the best point guard in the history of the NBA. “Yes. It’s me and Magic is that the conversation? … Obviously, I have to answer that way,” the Warriors star said while appearing on Gilbert Arena’s podcast. Magic and Steph’s stats are surprisingly comparable – Curry has now played one more year than Johnson did (granted, Johnson cut his career short due to his HIV status). Sure, Curry is a pure PG while Magic started his career as a shooting guard but even so, Curry dominates most statistical categories between the two players.

Of course, this is one of those offseason debates that flares up when no one has anything better to talk about. Both players are elite and really at the end of the day, it’s just meaningless bragging rights. However, someone who is taking his very seriously. In fact, he’s so invested in the topic that he texted Stephen A. Smith at 6AM to provide the ESPN veteran with a statement to read on air.

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Smith Reads Jordan’s Magic-Curry Take

“Good morning, sir,” Smith read. “Although greatest of anything is always a debate, I beg to differ on greatest point guard of all time, with what you said. Magic Johnson is easily the best point guard of all time. Steph Curry is very close, but not in front of Magic. You must define ‘point guard’ to really have a serious debate. Steph Curry is by far the best shooter of all time — yes, his movement has created many shots for his teammates, he’s a career 43 percent three-point shooter. But Magic Johnson invented the triple-double,” Smith continued. “Not true invented, but makes it more noticeable in terms of the impact on the game. Magic was the best. We can go on, but I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I know you get the point. By the way — Magic has five NBA championships.”

The text came after Smith agreed, and reiterated his agreement after the text, that Curry was the best PG of all time. “He asked me to read it on the air,” Smith said. “He said I’m not backing up for it. I’m tired of this argument about Magic Johnson not being the best point guard in the history of the game. He is the best point guard in the history of basketball. That is from Michael Jordan.” Perhaps Jordan will roll up to Bristol to further debate the topic in the near future.

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Stephen A. Smith Goes Scorched Earth On Lonzo Ball: Watch

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Stephen A. Smith is someone who never backs down on his positions, even if they aren’t good ones. You could prove Smith wrong one million times and he still won’t back down. Overall, a lot of fans love this side of him. However, there are just as many people out there who cannot stand when he does this. Ultimately, he is a very polarizing person, and ESPN likes it this way. It means they will always have a steady stream of viewers, whether from haters or fans.

Recently, Smith found himself at odds with Lonzo Ball. In a recent report, he claimed that Lonzo was having trouble getting in and out of chairs. Subsequently, Lonzo took to social media and showcased himself getting up and out of his seat near a pool. This video immediately went viral, and it put Smith’s integrity into question. Today, on First Take, Smith went to defend himself, and as you can imagine, he had a whole lot to say.

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Calls Taylor Swift “The Best Concert” Of His Life

Stephen A. Claps Back

“You really going to sit poolside on the bench and think because you getting up and sitting down… that makes you healthy? … Bro, you ain’t healthy,” Smith ranted. Overall, this was easily one of Smith’s more disrespectful rants. He clearly felt embarrassed by Lonzo’s video, and he responded as such. Many fans claimed that his response lacked tact and was utterly disrespectful. Even for Stephen A., this whole thing felt pretty low and beneath him.

Lonzo’s Video

Moreover, the public perception of Lonzo is overwhelmingly positive these days. The fans want to see him back in the league as he is turning into a truly dynamic player. Let us know what you thought of Stephen A.’s response, in the comments section. You can also watch Lonzo’s video, below. Stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the sports world. We will always keep you informed of the biggest news involving the biggest athletes.

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Slams Reports “Confirming” Shannon Sharpe Joining “First Take”

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Lonzo Ball Debunks Stephen A. Smith’s Claims With Powerful Video

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Lonzo Ball will remain sidelined for the 2023-24 season as he continues to rehab from a torn meniscus he suffered way back in January 2022. It will be the second consecutive season Ball has missed and no one is feeling the weight of that more than Ball himself. In a recent appearance on the From The Point podcast, Ball said he felt bad for the Bulls as they had built the “perfect team” around him before he went down with injury.

With the NBA season around two months away, Ball’s name popped up on First Take as the panel discussed his podcast appearance. “I don’t think he’ll ever be the same… I’ve heard that it’s even hard for him to get up from the sitting position… I’m really, really sad for him,” lamented Stephen A. Smith. While it seemed like a sincere expression of solidarity with Ball, it was not received as such by the injured player. And so Ball took to social media to clap back at the veteran broadcaster.

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Balls Tells Smith To “Stop Yapping”

“Who are your sources, bro? Please, tell me who your sources are,” Ball began his response video, in which he could be seen doing one-leg squats with his injured leg. “Come on man. Come on, man. You got to stop yapping,” Ball continued. “And I actually like you, man! I don’t know you like that but I like you! I’m coming back, man. Come on!” More than anything, the post appears to be more for Ball than Smith. It’s proof that he’s not the injured husk that he has been portrayed as by the media. He is recovering, and he will be back. However, he’s also not the only one calling out Smith this week.

After it was reported that Stefon Diggs had missed the first day of the Bills’ mandatory minicamp, Smith claimed he had sources saying that the wide receiver wanted out of Buffalo. Later that same day, Diggs vehemently rejected any notion that he didn’t want to be in Buffalo. “100% not true. I don’t know who the source 😒 is but I thought i nip this shit in the bud already. Rocking wit my dawgs… Bills mafia ❤💙 through and through !!!,” Diggs said in a pair of tweets. Looks like Smith and his team might need to vet their info a little better.

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Stephen A. Smith Calls Taylor Swift “The Best Concert” Of His Life

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Taylor Swift is deep into her Eras Tour. She’s currently preparing for four shows in Mexico City before she closes out the year with shows this November in South America, namely Brazil and Argentina. It’s been a massively successful tour and earned Swift major acclaim. And of course, every now and then we see a handful of amusing headlines from her various tour stops. This is nothing out of the ordinary, especially with

Now a lot of people have professed themselves to be Swifties during this tour. Just about every city she has been to has put on some big show, such as renaming themselves or making Swift the temporary mayor. Meanwhile, she had earned the love of athletes like Mac Jones and Aaron Rodgers. But what about Stephen A. Smith? The often stoic ESPN broadcaster recently revealed that he dropped around $20,000 on ten tickets for his daughters and their friends. And Smith talked about the experience on a recent edition of The Stephen A. Smith Show.

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Smith Gives Swift Some Major Props

“That’s the best concert I’ve ever been to in my life,” Smith said. “Excuse my language, but that shit was off the chain. Taylor Swift brought the damn house down. I was jamming to Taylor Swift. She was sensational. I’d pay to see her again. Seriously, I’m not joking. She was a superstar that night. That girl is special.” That’s very high praise from the often hard-to-please Smith.

After the concerts in Mexico and South America, Swift shuts up shop for the winter. She returns to the concert circuit in February 2024 with an Asian leg across Japan, Australia, and Singapore. She then heads to Europe between May and August. Finally, she concludes the whole tour with more shows in the US and Canada. The tour concludes with six shows in the Rogers Center in Toronto. Have you been to the Eras Tour? Do you agree with Smith about how good it was? Let us know in the comments.

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Stephen A. Smith Reviews A Taylor Swift Eras Tour Show: ‘That Sh*t Was Off The Chain’

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stephen a smith
ESPN

Stephen A. Smith uses First Take as a platform to argue with people about sports. But there’s much more to Smith that that, and usually, he explores topics that interest him outside of the world of sports on his podcast, “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”

Here’s an example: Smith apparently ran into a problem recently, as his two daughters promised their friends that he would buy all of them tickets to see Taylor Swift‘s currently tour, The Eras Tour. Now, as someone who went to this and can confirm that tickets to this thing cost an arm and a leg, I empathize with Smith, even though he makes a lot more money than I do. Smith had to buy 10 tickets, which came out to $20,000, but as an added bonus, he was able to get his hands on a pair of free tickets, which gave him the chance to attend. And as he explained, he was a fan.

“That’s the best concert I’ve ever been to in my life,” Smith said. “Excuse my language, but that sh*t was off the chain. Taylor Swift brought the damn house down. I was jamming to Taylor Swift. She was sensational. I’d pay to see her again. Seriously, I’m not joking. She was a superstar that night. That girl is special.”

Stephen A. Smith, if you would ever like to discuss The Eras Tour in depth, please reach out to us and we’ll happily talk about it with you.

Stephen A. Smith Slams Reports “Confirming” Shannon Sharpe Joining “First Take”

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It seemed as though the Shannon Sharpe saga was at an end on August 17. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported that Sharpe would be joining ESPN a little over two months after leaving FS1 and Undisputed. According to Marchand, Sharpe would make twice-weekly appearances on First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith while also bringing Club Shay Shay to the network as well.

As also mentioned by Marchand, a return to ESPN would be something of a homecoming for Sharpe. It was his guest appearances on the show when Bayless anchored the broadcast between 2004 and early 2016 that would lead to the creation of Undisputed in late 2016. However, unfortunately for Marchand and The Post, they appear to have missed the mark on this report.

Read More: Shannon Sharpe says he’ll be back on TV in time for football season

Stephen A. Smith Calls Post Report “A Bit Premature”

“I have a smile on my face. Beautiful smile on my face. You all know that it’s something that I want, it’s something that I have declared because I respect Shannon, I like him. I think he’d be a tremendous asset to the show, my show, First Take…But my point is that it would be great to have him,” Smith began while addressing The Post‘s “exclusive”. “Here’s the issue, we don’t. Sorry Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, it’s a bit premature. Shannon Sharpe is yet to sign on the dotted line to be a member of First Take. It has not happened yet. I’m still confident that it will happen, I still believe it will happen, I think it needs to happen. And I have doubt that I am going to exhaust every means I have available to me to make it happen.”

So yes, fans of “Unc” who were looking forward to him chewing the fat with Smith might need to wait just a little bit longer. It’s likely accurate to say that ESPN is the frontrunner for Sharpe’s services. However, Smith’s comments are the exact comment that Marchand originally said that ESPN declined to give. Given that Sharpe said he’ll be back for football season, it’s likely that his decision will be announced in the coming weeks. Despite that, for now at least, the Hall of Famer remains a free agent. This is a developing story and we’ll have any updates as and when they emerge.

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