Bobby Burack
Videos by OutKick
Stephen A. Smith declared Nets guards Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons the worst and most selfish teammates he has ever seen. And he has seen a lot of teammates, he adds.
Here’s Smith from First Take on Wednesday:
Perhaps Irving is a bad teammate. No argument there. But notice when Smith says that Ben Simmons is the worst teammate of all time? Well, obviously that can’t be true. Because we are well aware of at least one teammate more selfish and vile than Simmons is:
Stephen A. Smith, himself.
Smith complains that Irving and Simmons don’t always show up for work for their teammates. Sure. However, that’s better than burying their teammates as Smith does his.
As we reported first, and Smith confirmed, he begged his bosses for three years to demote Max Kellerman off First Take. Smith admitted last summer that he had worked to sabotage Kellerman’s career.
“The rumor’s accurate in terms of me wanting [Max] off the show,” Smith told Hot 97 in August. Smith added that they asked the bosses to kick Kellerman off the show at the start of 2019, 2020, and 2021.
What changed in 2021? Smith threatened to leave, telling ESPN execs that he would depart the show if Kellerman did not.
From February, in his own words:
“I’ve been honest about this. The show needed a change But I also said to the bosses, ‘Listen, I think [Max and my] time together has passed. If you want to keep him on the show and not me, so be it.'”
Worst of all, Smith isn’t done bullying Kellerman. See, ESPN tyrannical exec Dave Roberts, who runs First Take, is in cahoots with Smith. Robert is the front-facing “boss,” but Smith is the boss. So Smith is still making life hell for Kellerman because Roberts is in control of Kellerman’s new radio show from 6-10 am ET, Keyshawn, JayWill and Max.
What’s more, Kellerman now has to deal with radio co-host Keyshawn Johnson, an egomaniac who is rising the ranks as a “friend” to Smith.
Stephen A. Smith moves the needle on television. I respect that. But I have no respect for how he treats others.
Irving and Simmons are bad teammates. Yet Smith is far worse, earning him the OutKick Woke Hack of the Day.
This is less wokeness than unbridled hypocrisy and arrogance.
Totally agreed.
Well, when you’re on deadline and you’re an unoriginal lackey that embodies everything people were worried about when Fox bought Outkick “hypocrisy and arrogance” becomes “Woke Hack of the Day”.
“As we reported first, and Smith confirmed, he begged his bosses for three years to demote Max Kellerman off First Take. Smith admitted last summer that he had worked to sabotage Kellerman’s career.”
What is the complaint here? A “woke hack” sabotaged another “woke hack”? If Stephen A. wasn’t such a dick he probably would’ve been bombarded with “Thank You” notes.
Who really cares which talking head is on any espn show I’m pretty sure no one here watches any of them.
Weekday ESPN is just a jobs program for the mentally impaired and other assorted lunatics. .