In a career spanning almost three decades, Stephen A. Smith has had several public feuds with athletes. However, his beef with Glenn Robinson is at the top of his list. Even though he went toe to toe against an NBA Champion, back in the day, now the media veteran is ready to bury the hatchet. During a recent appearance on ‘KG Certified’, Smith talked about why the feud with Robinson is one of his biggest regrets and what he is willing to do to put all this behind him.
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SAS said that the feeling of animosity against Robinson started because of his actions towards Randy Ayers. As a Black man, the media veteran saw it as Big Dog being disrespectful, something that he wouldn’t be if he had a white coach instead.
Charged by these feelings, he started throwing shade at the NBA veteran which quickly turned ugly. He recalled, “It got to a point where people would look at us, and I’ve had people walk right in between us because they thought something was gonna happen.”
Smith realized the gravity of the situation when he met Robinson’s son. He said,
“It really hit home when I met his son…He was walking out, and he was hesitant. Not rude or anything like that, almost like scared to come across me because of what he thought I would say to him.”
This encounter forced the veteran analyst to make things right with the Robinson family. He recalled walking up to his son and admitting that he was wrong.
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In addition, he assured the youngster that whatever bad blood there was between them, it wouldn’t affect Smith’s assessment of him as a player. The media veteran also told Glenn Robinson III, “If I saw Big Dog, I’d apologize to him.” Interestingly, his beef with Robinson isn’t the only one he has had or regrets.
Stephen A. Smith regrets going against Kwame Brown
Stephen A. is one of the biggest trash talkers to ever take up a role in the sports media. Over the years, we have seen him put his thoughts into words fearlessly, even at the cost of hurting someone with his bold takes.
As a result, he has been in the crosshairs of many individuals like Robinson and Kwame Brown. His rant on Brown being traded by the LA Lakers is a part of one of the most iconic sports TV moments.
During an appearance on ‘Podcast P with Paul George’, the media veteran tried to clear the air and apologize to the NBA veteran. He said that if he could go back in time and do it all over, he would not be as harsh as he was against Brown. He said,
“I know what I said. I did mean it. I ain’t going to sit here and tell you I ain’t mean the s**t I said, but I didn’t know it was gonna be like this.”
"I wish I could do that over. I wouldn't do it."
Stephen A Smith keeps it real on his infamous Kwame Brown comments 💯
Full episode PREMIERING NOW: https://t.co/XLeUZPB4rT pic.twitter.com/htiPaZ3MyT
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) August 14, 2023
Clearly, Smith has had beef with several individuals in his career. But in hindsight, it also goes to be an example of his personality as a serious journalist who gives his opinion without worrying about the consequences.