4 Times Stephen A. Smith Has Been Unbelievably Wrong
By Jerry Trotta
It goes without saying that Stephen A. Smith is one of the most polarizing-yet-compelling figures in sports media. There's a reason the "First Take" co-host recently signed a contract to become ESPN's highest-paid on-air personality in the company's history.
However, Stephen A. is only tolerable if you turn to him for stream-of-consciousness analysis and impassioned tirades-- if you take any "report" he breaks without a grain of salt, you are set for colossal disappointment. With that in mind, lets examine four different times Smith's been bizarrely, agonizingly wrong while on the air with the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
4. Kyrie Irving Contradiction(s)
In a span of just two months, Stephen A. elected to break news on "First Take" on Kyrie Irving. First, he hinted that Kyrie might join the Lakers in free agency, only to follow that up a few weeks later saying that there was "no way in hell" Irving would be going to La La Land. Amazingly, Smith claimed just two days earlier that the superstar point guard was "95%" certain to sign with the Knicks. Well, you know how the story ended.
3. Lakers Should...Trade LeBron?
Never forget when Stephen A. tweeted back in May: "I’m told people in Hollywood have told Jeanie Buss to trade @KingJames!” Instead, Los Angeles traded virtually everybody Smith believed the Lakers were going to build around...for Anthony Davis! Jeanie Buss isn't a great basketball mind, but even she knows would go down in NBA infamy if she were to trade the second greatest player of all-time. No soup for you, Stephen A.
2. Damian Lillard to the Knicks!
How could we ever forget this one?! In July of 2018, Smith said: "Damian Lillard’s preference would be for the Portland Trail Blazers to find somebody, somebody big time to join him and CJ McCollum in Portland. That’s Damian Lillard’s preference. But if they can’t improve the team and if they can’t find anybody, then he’s interested in going one of two places: my sources tell me it’s the Lakers or the Knicks.” And that's all despite the fact that Dame Dolla has stated, on numerous occasions, that he loathes the idea of creating a superteam. Not to mention that he adores the city of Portland and the Trail Blazers organization, signing a supermax contract with them this offseason.
1. A Lakers "Big 4" of LeBron, Durant, Westbrook and DeRozan?
Back on Jan. 21, 2016, Smith stated the following: “One of the biggest reasons I’m told that Kevin Durant may have the Lakers at the top of his list is because the Lakers have been led to believe, by whom specifically I do not know, but the Lakers have been led to believe that it is a very good chance that the following year Russell Westbrook is coming.” Do we really need to dissect how laughably imprecise that quote was? Clearly Smith wasn't aware of the widely popular notion that KD detested playing with Brodie. And a few short months later, Stephen A. claimed that DeRozan has “made it very, very clear that he wants to be in L.A. He has family out there." Wrong again, sir.