Stephen A. Smith, the renowned NBA analyst, is well-known for calling a spade a spade. Throughout his career, he has shared his critical views on many players, and this time, the one who came on his radar was the Brooklyn Nets’ Ben Simmons.
Recently, a video of the 3-time All-Star surfaced on the internet showing his workout session. This didn’t go well with Smith, who harshly discussed it on the ‘OGs’ podcast. Lashing out at Simmons, Smith said, “The only injury that I’ve ever questioned is that damn Ben Simmons. He’s lucky he’s not in prison for theft… I’m sure of all the places he could really get focused and zero in on his basketball prowess.”
The veteran clarified that he is not questioning Simmons’ injury but pointing out how the Australian missed games even before that. To Smith, this indicated that the athlete didn’t love the sport.
Smith also touched on Simmons’ mental health issues, which the former claimed to be supportive of. However, appearing for only 57 games in two seasons and dropping 6.7 points per night was not something one expected from the first-round pick.
Besides criticizing Simmons, Smith also shared some positive reviews of the New Orleans Pelicans star.
Stephen A. Smith Praises Zion Williamson
Despite being the one to make negative remarks about the Pelicans’ Zion Williamson’s weight, Stephen A. Smith showered praise for the power forward on the podcast.
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The Pelicans failed to snatch a win from the Lakers in the 2024 Playoffs and were eliminated from the tournament. Smith stated that the main reason for their failure was Williamson’s injury.
The franchise then added Dejounte Murray to their squad to fix their roster. However, Smith believes there is only one deciding factor for the Pelicans. Hinting at the 2-time All-Star, Smith said, “We all know when it comes to the Pelicans, it don’t matter who the hell you bring up, if it ain’t Zion Williamson, it don’t matter. It comes down to him.” (After 1:17:40)
To improve their chances in the upcoming season, the Pelicans need to ensure the health of their ace, which, according to Stephen A. Smith, could change their entire game.
