Draymond Green was extremely unhappy with ESPN First Take host Stephen A. Smith taking shots at Stephen Curry ‘s leadership after his suspension. Green was absolutely ‘crushed’ after learning how SAS blamed Curry’s leadership for him punching Jusuf Nurkic on the court. Green ended up responding sternly to Smith’s comments, which prompted a clarification from Stephen A., where he implicated Dubs coach Steve Kerr instead of Steph Curry.
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Addressing this concern on The Draymond Green Show, Green said, “[The Stephen Curry slander] p***ed me off, but it crushed me. How is Steph enduring being a bad leader? This guy doesn’t give us anything to tear him down about. He does everything the right way. And yet, he’s the one being tore down because of my actions? Crushed me.”
Responding to Green, SAS stated that he never meant to call Stephen Curry a bad leader. The ESPN analyst instead took shots at the Dubs’ head coach, Steve Kerr, who had hinted at being ‘disgusted’ hearing Smith talk about Stephen Curry’s leadership.
“Did you hear me say Steph Curry is a bad leader? The answer is no. Draymond Green, that is false. That is not true. But Draymond Green, you ain’t the one I’m pi**ed at. It’s that damn Steve Kerr.”
Smith added that Steve Kerr did interviews saying he is disgusted with people calling out Curry’s leadership, even though he refrained from mentioning Smith by name. The ESPN analyst further said that he understood how Curry led by example, being a two-time MVP and a 4x NBA champion. Through his statement, Smith wanted to highlight how the NBA community would have pounced on LeBron James had he been in the same situation as Curry. Hence, Smith clarified that he just wanted fans to give a pass to LeBron as well, like were giving Curry for a similar situation.
If we assess Draymond Green’s statement on Smith, the Warriors star acknowledges that his actions were responsible for his indefinite suspension. In fact, there shouldn’t be any question about Stephen Curry’s leadership either way, given the veteran star has always tried to keep a solid bond among players in the locker room.
From a layman’s perspective, Smith’s words are certainly open to interpretation. Smith did say that LeBron would have been called out for his leadership if he were in Curry’s situation. However, it cannot be said with certainty whether Smith wanted to call out Curry’s leadership with his words or underline the unrealistic standard fans place on LeBron.
Fans accuse Stephen A. Smith of distorting the truth and lying
While Stephen A. Smith seems to have clarified his stance, fans ended up recalling his words from earlier. In fact, many fans even unearthed clips from Smith’s previous statements, showcasing how the ESPN analyst is now trying to defend himself by highlighting a different perspective. Here are some fans pulling out receipts and replying with proof under Stephen A.’s tweet.
The fact that the First Take episode itself was titled ‘Stephen A. Questions Steph Curry’s leadership with Draymond Green’ speaks volumes about Smith effectively distorting facts in his favor. Perhaps, such public callouts from fans and the Warriors organization might force the veteran analyst to reconsider his stance and give a more nuanced take on the incident.
