Stephen A. Smith has risen through the ranks over the years as one of ESPN’s most decorated analysts, boasting his own show on the popular network. However, he would not have admittedly gained such fame and notoriety early on in his career if it weren’t for Allen Iverson. In the 2000s, Stephen A. made a name for himself covering AI and the Philadelphia 76ers. Working with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Smith regularly wrote pieces about The Answer, and the two had a cordial relationship. However, one particular incident saw this relationship turn sour. Shaquille O’Neal, who himself had his battles with AI, recently shared Stephen A. Smith’s account of the whole thing on his Instagram story.
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In 2001, the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Sixers in what would be an iconic NBA Finals battle between the pairing of Shaq and a young Kobe Bryant and Crossover king Allen Iverson. It was a hard-fought final and one that saw Iverson earn Shaq’s respect, especially after his stellar Game 1 performance. So much so, that the four-time NBA Champion acknowledged the “dawg” in AI and knew that he was a player that couldn’t be “punked”.
Shaquille O’Neal shares Stephen A. Smith’s thoughts on his strained relationship with Allen Iverson
For the longest time, Allen Iverson and Stephen A. Smith had a good relationship. However, all that changed after the latter started being critical of him. With Smith regularly calling out the 2001 NBA MVP for his partying habits, their friendship ended. In fact, the two barely spoke to each other for nearly two years.
It all started in 2010 after an Inquirer piece from Stephen A. prompted Iverson’s wrath against him. The Answer felt that Smith went after him late in his career for his lifestyle and absence from his team. In reality, Iverson was actually taking care of his daughter, who was sick at the time. But this was not covered in the article.
Years later, the two would confront each other about this and would eventually squash the beef. Shaquille O’Neal recently shared this story on his Instagram, after Stephen A. recounted it on Podcast P with Paul George:
“He[AI] was so angry, he wouldn’t talk to me. We had gone like damn near two years. Finally, I caught up with him when I went down to Atlanta and he looked me in my face and said, ‘I don’t give a sh*t about the story! It’s that it was you…it was your name on the byline!’ And, I said to him, ‘You know what I could’ve said. I didn’t say anything. My boss is looking at me, ‘We know what he doing. He out there partying and all this stuff. If you don’t write it, we will!’ ‘I was trying to help you!’. He said, “Don’t matter to me…it was you!”. He said, ‘There’s nobody in the industry that could hurt me, but you!'”
The misunderstanding between the two is really an unfortunate occurrence, but it’s great to know that their relationship has improved. After all, as Stephen A. admits, he would have never reached the heights he has if not for AI.
Stephen A. boasts that he is the number one in his industry
Stephen A. Smith is undoubtedly one of the biggest figures in the world of sports journalism. However, it wasn’t easy for him to get there. He worked hard and rose to the top, thanks to his work ethic. So, when asked why he still has a job when everyone else is getting laid off at ESPN, Smith responded confidently that he is “number one”.
Smith makes a fair point, he is number one. And, it’s hard to imagine what Sports coverage would look like if Stephen A. wasn’t sitting in the hot seat on First Take.
