JJ Redick Pulls Back The Curtain On ESPN, Stephen A. Smith

Former NBA player JJ Redick spent the majority of his basketball career leaving defenders helpless, and on Tuesday morning, Stephen A. Smith felt their pain. Redick blasted Smith’s latest asinine question disguised as a hot take, which resulted in a rare ESPN-on-ESPN crime.

“You’re creating a narrative and a story, Stephen A.,” Redick said during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take.

Stephen A. fabricating something? Nah, doesn’t sound like something he would do…

JJ Redick to Stephen A on First Take:

"As an athlete, we wanna go out and kill. And we wanna win… There is no one that can put more pressure on Kevin [Durant] or LeBron… than themselves…

All the pressure is coming from this… You're creating a narrative Stephen A." pic.twitter.com/yjXdNp892S

— Courtside Clippers (@Courtside_Clips) February 8, 2022

Smith asked Redick who is under more pressure to win a title, LeBron James or Kevin Durant. That question, which no doubt was intended to create a social media shit storm linking the popular KD and LeBron to any clicks, set Redick off.

“There’s always going to pressure on great players,” said Redick. “The question was ‘who has more pressure?’ The answer is neither! The answer is neither! …As an athlete, we want to go out and kill and we want to win.”

Redick’s rant did the unthinkable — it left Smith speechless. But Redick wasn’t finished. He continued to dismiss Smith’s question by adding: “There’s is no one that can put more pressure on Kevin or LeBron, or me, or Chris Paul than themselves.”

Redick then pulled back the curtain on ESPN’s theatrical morning routine of spewing out hot takes.

“All the pressure’s coming from this,” Redick said, gesturing to the ESPN studio set and its commentators. “All the pressure’s coming from this. You’re creating a narrative and a story, Stephen A. We all do that. This is what we do.”

Finally, an ESPN hot take worth hearing.

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF