"PEOPLE LOOK AT YOU FUNNY AND DON'T GIVE YOU THE RESPECT" - STEPHEN JACKSON REVEALS WHY HE'S NOT A FAN OF STEPHEN A. SMITH AFTER HIS RECENT TAKES
With interest in sports at an all-time high, fans consume sports media in various forms. Whether it be written articles like this, TV or radio shows, or podcasts, fans cannot get enough of their favorite sports nowadays.
One of the most popular sports media personalities in the game right now is Stephen A. Smith, but he has his fair share of haters, too. You can add another to that list, Stephen Jackson, due to a pair of controversial incidents Smith recently found himself in.
Jackson disagrees with Stephen A.'s Trump take
When you are a TV personality like SAS, hot takes are what everyone wants. Sure, not everyone will agree with what you're saying. Still, it will create a discussion among fans one way or another, and that's precisely what these media outlets are looking for.
Smith is familiar with these sorts of takes, and they aren't always limited to sports. After he voiced his support of former United States President Donald Trump as he tried to get his way back into the White House, Jackson called him out for hiding behind the TV screen.
"My main problem with a lot of people, especially with Stephen A. when he say stuff like this, if you was on the corner with ten brothers in your neighborhood, you wouldn't have said that," Jackson said on All The Smoke Unplugged. "You wouldn't have had the balls to say black people relate to (Donald) Trump, you wouldn't have said that in front of your people, in a room full of your people."
"You said that on TV because you comfortable there, and that's the narrative that they want you to paint because somebody probably told you to say that. I'm not the most intelligent person, but I told y'all, I'm first-team common sense. That's why you say these things on TV. That's why people look at you funny and don't give you the respect…That was the weakest thing," Jackson added.
Jack annihilated SAS for trying to get Russ suspended
If you want to discuss divisive characters, Trump is certainly high on that list, and Smith didn't do himself any favors by supporting him, in Jackson's eyes. Jackson believes that if he were out in public, he certainly would not have said anything like that.
The second issue Jackson had with Smith came when he called the NBA's office to try to get Russell Westbrook suspended after he was ejected in Game 3 of the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.
Westbrook picked up a pair of quick technical fouls for getting into it with Luka Doncic and P.J. Washington. NBA analyst revealed he called the league to ask why Westbrook wasn't suspended for his actions. Jackson wasn't pleased with that and once again took aim at Smith.
"You don't work for the league. What make you think you got the power to call and get somebody suspended? You opening more doors to thinking the times you went on TV and spoke bad about me and other players, you called and put your vote in to get people suspended, is that what you saying? That's crazy that you would openly say that," Jackson said
"I come from under the old law. There's people that I grew up with that came out of jail that I know they snitching and I'm not f***ing with. He a snitch, you snitching….Nah, f*** that. You called the league to try to get that man suspended. That was the league decision. You don't do some s*** like that… I'm not f***ing with him no more," Jackson concluded.
Smith doesn't work for the NBA in any fashion, so Jackson is fed up that he seems to think he has any sort of authority to make those sorts of decisions. Heck, he didn't even play in the league, so who is he to be openly vouching for players to get suspended?
These sorts of flagrant takes can drive people insane, and every day, someone says something new that's controversial and gets everyone's attention. However, this may be a deeper issue for Jackson, and his friendship with Smith is on the rocks for now.
2024-07-04T01:46:01Z dg43tfdfdgfd