Stephen A. Smith has never been one to shy away from confrontation, and he recently got into a fight with the New Orleans Pelicans. Following a segment where he was critical of Zion Williamson's weight, the Pelicans social media team retaliated by reposting a video in which Stephen A. Smith was missing jump shots that he was attempting on the basketball court, as well as being a poor athlete in boxing.
The audio of the video was also an earlier example of him giving his assessment of Kwame Brown's involvement in the Pau Gasol trade in February 2008, where he called Brown a "true man". Smith fired back on Wednesday's edition of ESPN take firstEven touting his HBCU credentials.
"You left something out and you know what? You left out the fact that I was in the fourth grade and I was left back out because I had a first-grade readership. And here I am on national television after graduating from an HBCU, going up against Hall of Famers who have played professional sports all the time... the elite journalist in this business, and I'm coming from an HBCU and still doing what I'm doing."
Smith is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University and has done significant HBCU philanthropy work throughout her career. He has also used the platform of take first to highlight HBCUs and HBCU athletics, but Smith has been involved in numerous feuds and wars of words, often citing his HBCU connections.
Still, the Pelicans are undaunted, as they posted a response tweet to Smith's criticism with the caption, "A five-minute monologue from a former NBA player on how to shoot." The feud will eventually settle down, but Stephen A. is determined to show that he is not to be messed with.
