Stephen A. Smith is known for his hot takes and controversial comments, and with the NBA playoffs in full swing, he couldn’t keep himself out any longer. But this time, his punch landed off the mark, drawing the ire of an NBA legend, Isiah Thomas.
The Pistons Bad Boy took to social media to sound off the analyst and wrote, “I have been a friend, mentor, and advisor to @FCHWPO since he was a student at UC Berkeley. He is 100 percent marketable, and before you slander his name @stephenasmith, tell your source to put their name on it or don’t speak on it. Let it be known.”
In case you’re wondering who they’re talking about, Jaylen Brown is the person in the middle of the issue. The Celtics guard was deemed a player with a displeasing attitude, which lowered his marketability. Stephen A. Smith, or to be specific, someone he quoted as a league source, accused Brown of being such a player.
Stephen A. also responded to Isiah Thomas’ social media post and created one of his own. “I have no idea what you’re talking about @IsiahThomas. I have been a fan of Jaylen Brown for years. Still am. What’s unfortunate is that YOU — who’s known for me decades — would choose to go on X to expressed whatever dissent you feel instead of calling me directly. But I get it. It’s a pattern several folks have used vs me recently, suddenly forgetting communication we’ve always had. So be it. I root for JB always—a great dude and player. But the @celtics have to close the deal,” wrote the “First Take” host.
But Isiah wasn’t the only one firing at the talk show host. Jaylen Brown was also displeased with the comments.
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Jaylen Brown Fires Back at Stephen A. Smith
On a recent episode of ESPN’s “First Take”, Stephen A. Smith was seen quoting a league source about Jaylen Brown’s perceived superiority complex, which in turn damages his marketability.
“I wanted to read to y’all what an NBA source just sent me. He said, ‘Jaylen Brown, it’s not so much that he’s underrated, it’s that he’s just not liked because of his ‘I am better than you’ attitude. He knows it,” said Stephen A.
“It’s the same reason he is not as marketable as he should be.’ That’s what an NBA source just sent me. Don’t know that to be the case. I like Jaylen Brown. I know a lot of people that like Jaylen Brown. But again, when you think about marketability, that’s what that person was alluding to”, Smith further added.
Jaylen Brown, who was busy crushing the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, later took to social media and commented, “State your source.”
Brown is often seen as a key motivator in the Celtics squad, so it was odd enough that a league source would say something like that about the 27-year-old. Brown is averaging 24.7 points per game in the 13 playoff games so far, which includes multiple clutch plays, as the Celtics currently find them one win short of reaching the NBA Finals. Marketability might not be his motivation at the moment, but the 18th Championship for the franchise is certainly the priority for Jaylen Brown.
