A week hasn’t been passed yet of Stephen A Smith engaging in feud with Kevin Durant and Stephen has produced another battle in his own show ESPN’s “First Take” with CJ McCollum and JJ Redick.
Stephen got rattled yesterday on ESPN’s “First Take,” by CJ McCollum and JJ Redick, they took issue with Smith’s comment about Russell Westbrook’s attendance at newly hired Lakers head coach’s maiden press conference.
Pelicans guard C.J. McCollum and former NBA star J.J. Redick were a part of Tuesday’s panel of Stephen A’s show that was when Stephen without explaining his actual reasoning made a remark on Russel saying:
“Him (Russel) being at that press conference yesterday, actually to me, I didn’t like it.”
.@stephenasmith doesn’t think the Lakers can win a championship as presently constructed.
“I think as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy, you can overcome it enough to be a playoff team. But that’s about the height of my expectations for the Los Angeles Lakers.” pic.twitter.com/67VTveWqwe
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 7, 2022
At this point, CJ McCollum and Redick teamed up, catch up Stephen about what he said about Russel, Redick asked an explanation from Stephen. Redick crushed him saying “You said a random, random take, and then you explained a bunch of things about Russell Westbrook that had nothing about that take, what is your issue with Russell Westbrook being at that press conference?”
CJ McCollum followed Redick saying, “That’s a wild thing for you to say. Him supporting his team, his organization, his coach, a fellow African-American man that’s get hired by the Los Angeles Lakers?
Stephen seemed to be denying the remarks of Redick and McCollum saying he didn’t say such and that he tried to mean in a different way.
McCollum immediately fired back saying “This is what you said! You said that him going to the press conference, you’re disappointed in that? Run the tape. We got the tape. That’s what you said. Even if you didn’t mean it the way, you said that he shouldn’t have been at that press conference, that’s foul.”
The set was just started to heating when Smith himself clarified his criticism was more about the Lakers than Russel and it’s about how they’ve talked about trading Westbrook.
The clarification from Stephen seemed cooled both Redick and McCollum. But man, what a segment it was to watch. NBA fans should’ve been impressed with Redick and McCollum in way they confronted together, just have a look.
