Stephen A. Smith Hypes Up Jaylen Brown’s Leadership Days After Being Accused by Isiah Thomas

Prateek Singh | 30/05/2024
Stephen A. Smith Hypes Up Jaylen Brown's Leadership Days After Being Accused By Isiah Thomas

Stephen A. Smith has been in a tug of war with his emotions regarding his take on Jaylen Brown. The media veteran was beefing with Isiah Thomas over his ‘Unmarketable’ remark on JB only last week. Now, Stephen A. is all praise for the Celtics star, and on the recent episode of First Take, he was seen hyping up his leadership skills.

In the recently concluded Eastern Conference Finals where the Celtics swept the Pacers, Brown was awarded the Larry Bird ECF MVP title. Per Stephen A., Brown is the head of the group and is doing a great job leading them. He said, “He’s not just an elite player. The number two player on the Boston Celtics in the eyes of most, number one in some, but he’s also the clear-cut vocal leader.”

Now that they’ve filled up one spot in the Finals and are waiting for the final word on Minnesota vs Dallas, SAS said that the Celtics would need more from their vocal leader in the Finals. A few days ago, Stephen A., citing his unnamed NBA source, 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 is not as marketable as he should be”

After his on-air admission, Isiah Thomas posted a reply to him on X. The Pistons legend wrote, “…he [JB] 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.” Even though Stephen A. tried to clear out the confusion with a quick response, the damage was done. Now, the media veteran is all about the Celtics and JB praise.

Stephen A. Smith picks the Boston Celtics to win the NBA title

Despite the Celtics making their way into the NBA Finals by clearing out the Eastern Conference, people are hesitant to give them the credit. Many people believe that in their playoff run, they have been lucky with the opposition suffering some brutal injuries. However, Stephen A. is not on that bandwagon. On a recent episode of First Take, the media veteran was asked to give his prediction for the upcoming Finals.

He said, “If I had to pick right now, I would tell you Boston [will win the NBA championship]. But I’m not sold. I think it’s that tight.” Stephen A. doesn’t have a clear winner yet because he believes that whichever team manages to come out of the West, will present a strong challenge for the Celtics. In four games, the Mavericks are leading the WCF 3-1, and are strong favorites to clinch the series in Minnesota.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
Isiah Thomas Jaylen Brown

About the author

Avatar photo

Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

Don’t miss these