Earlier today, we wrote about Stephen A. Smith and a recent hot take he had on First Take today, involving LeBron James. Following his suspension for elbowing Isaiah Stewart in the face, Smith spoke about how no one in the NBA actually fears LeBron James, like they would have feared someone like Michael Jordan or even Kobe Bryant. In the clip below, you can see exactly what Smith had to say on the matter.
“In my estimation, from the people that I’ve spoken to covering the league, [LeBron] has never been feared,” Smith said. “With LeBron, you believe you can take him. You believe he can be had.”
Smith was sitting across from former NBA star JJ Redick when he said this, and the take was immediately met with some skepticism as Redick straight up told Smith that he doesn’t feel like the First Take host is being authentic with his opinion. Redick thinks Smith is extremely off base here and that as a former NBA player, he can attest that LeBron is, indeed, someone to be feared. Smith tried to argue although he seemed quite flustered by the whole interaction as Redick continued to note that he’s actually played the game, unlike Stephen A.
“I dont know if you actually believe what you are saying […] I played the game, Im telling you that you are wrong,” Redick said.
Redick then pushed matters further when he noted that Michael Jordan’s trip to Atlantic City in ’93 would have taken up a whole hour on First Take had the show been around back then. Smith tried to claim that this is simply not the case, although if you’re aware of how the media works, you know that Redick is right on the money here.
Let us know what you thought of the entire exchange, in the comments below.