“I hear some players want me to be defunded for criticizing Kyrie Irving”: Stephen A. Smith sends out a stern warning to Marcus Morris and Stephen Jackson 

First Take analyst Stephen A. Smith recently opened about the hate he was receiving from certain former and current NBA players due to his criticism of Kyrie Irving’s anti-vaccination stand.

Kyrie Irving has been giving the media on all platforms a lot of breaking news lately. The Nets star’s decision to not get vaccinated has had mixed views from other players in the league, with most of them exercising diplomacy while addressing the issue.

However, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has been very vocal in his opinion about the whole situation. From day one, Smith has maintained his stand that he despised Irving’s decision, calling it selfish and unfair.

In recent months, Smith has been very critical of the superstar, owing to his unpredictable nature. The ESPN analyst has slammed Irving on several occasions for not having basketball as his top priority.

Also read: “Stephen A Smith is trying to become to Kyrie Irving, what Skip Bayless is to LeBron James”: ESPN Analyst comments yet again, as the Nets’ superstar hosts an Instagram Live

Smith, who recently celebrated his 54th birthday, went live on Instagram addressing how certain current and former NBA players have been against his opinions on Irving.

Stephen A. Smith talks about some NBA players criticizing him in light of his opinions on Kyrie Irving.

The current NBA players seem divided on Irving’s latest controversy. Though many players hope he gets vaccinated, they have also stated that it’s his right to stay unvaccinated. However, legends of the game such as Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have made themselves very clear.

While MJ stated he’s a firm believer in science, Kareem slammed Irving for risking other people’s lives. The Lakers legend even accused the Nets star of being insensitive towards the issue.

Recently, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has been under the radar of certain NBA players, who feel he has crossed the line with his comments on Irving.

Smith, who was celebrating his 54th birthday in LA, took to Instagram live talking about how he is aware of the chirping going around him. Smith even stated how some players want him to defunded. However, the veteran journalist is in no mood to back down from a fight.

Also read: “Stephen A Smith is trying to become to Kyrie Irving, what Skip Bayless is to LeBron James”: ESPN Analyst comments yet again, as the Nets’ superstar hosts an Instagram Live

Smith is one of the most respected media professionals and is known to stand by what he says. Guess we have to stay tuned for First Take.