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“Stephen A Smith, don’t pit Savannah James and I against one another”: When the ESPN analyst unprofessionally compared Ayesha Curry and LeBron James’ wife’s looks

Samir Mehdi
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“Stephen A Smith, don’t pit Savannah James and I against one another”: When the ESPN analyst unprofessionally compared Ayesha Curry and LeBron James’ wife’s looks

Ayesha Curry called out Stephen A Smith for pitting her and Savannah James against one another while live on air during the 2016 NBA Finals. 

The 2016 NBA Finals will always be remembered as having one of the greatest games in league history, Game 7. However, while LeBron James and Stephen Curry were duking it out on the court, Ayesha Curry and Savannah James found themselves in the crosshairs following a tweet the former had sent out calling out the officiating in Game 6 of that series. 

The infamous, “The NBA is rigged for money,” tweet from Ayesha Curry was soon deleted but not before it did enough damage to where major sports publications and analysts on television could break it down. Stephen A Smith was most definitely the most vocal and controversial with his take on Curry’s outrage with Game 6.

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“If it was LeBron’s wife, Savannah; if that were Gloria, LeBron’s mother, what would we be saying? If it were Savannah acting like this, do you know how much heat LeBron James may have taken?” 

Stephen A Smith compares Ayesha Curry and Savannah James in terms of looks and the former responded. 

The aforementioned quote from Stephen A Smith that compared what would’ve happened if it were Savannah James instead of Ayesha Curry isn’t the full meat of what the ESPN analyst said that day. He would then go on to compare their looks, which of course, is quite unprofessional. 

“As beautiful as everybody wants to say Ayesha Curry is, and she is, Svannah is something special. Ain’t a man alive, especially a black man, that isn’t going to look at LeBron James’ wife and not say that that woman ain’t gorgeous.” 

This comparison of looks from Stephen A brought absolutely nothing to the table when it came to the initial tweet Ayesha had sent out. The mother of 3 did however respond to Smith saying, “Why are you putting two women against each other like that? You’re the one that’s out of pocket.”

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Stephen A Smith did in fact go back on what he said earlier, claiming that he meant no disrespect towards Ayesha Curry and would never do that to an NBA player’s wife. “So, it’s not pitting you and Savannah against one another, it’s allowing you to know that others won’t hesitate to do it,” said Smith.

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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