In 2008, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a blockbuster trade. The front office agreed to a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies that got them Pau Gasol and a second-round draft pick in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010. When asked if the Purple & Gold were giving out “too much” in this trade, Stephen A. Smith went off for a passionate rant, dissing Kwame Brown. 16 years later, the rant remains to be as iconic as ever.
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While analyzing this move, several pundits and enthusiasts believed that the Los Angeles Lakers were parting ways with too many assets. However, Stephen A. Smith didn’t agree with the same. Instead, Smith made himself very clear, stating that getting rid of Kwame Brown was a cause for celebration.
“It’s Kwame Brown, who cares? Kwame Brown is gone. The city of angels, you should be celebrating. Throw a parade already whether you win a championship or not. This man was a bonafide scrub. He can’t play, no disrespect whatsoever, but I’m sorry to tell everybody the truth,” Smith said.
Smith further dove into Brown’s inability to perform efficiently and also ripped apart the big man for lacking motivation.
“He has small hands, he can’t catch the ball. He’s got bad feet, he can’t really move even though he’s mobile. Doesn’t really know what he is doing, doesn’t have a post move he puts to memory that he can do two times in a row. He has no game whatsoever, plays no defense. Doesn’t have the heart, the passion, or anything that comes with it,” SAS complained.
The rant has been one of the more memorable live television moments in sports analysis history. 16 years after the incident took place, the video of Smith’s rant has resurfaced on social media.
Despite everyone believing that the Lakers gave up “too much”, the trade ended up working in the LA side’s favour. Pau Gasol played a crucial role in the Lakers’ back-to-back championship runs in 2009 and 2010 scoring more than 18 points and 10 rebounds in both the campaigns.
Stephen A. Smith regrets calling Kwame Brown a ‘bonafide scrub’
15 years after completely ripping apart Kwame Brown, Stephen A. Smith revealed that he regretted his comments. During an appearance on Paul George’s Podcast P, in 2023, SAS disclosed that he wished to take back all the nasty comments that he made. Even though Smith was honest and stated that he meant every word that he said, he didn’t realize how he hurt Brown.
“Kwame Brown, I wish I could do that over. I wouldn’t do it. I know what I said. I did mean it. I ain’t going to sit here and tell you I didn’t mean this [expletive] that I said. But I didn’t know it was going to be like this.
I didn’t know 15 years later they were going to have memes and videos. And when I see what he says, I realize how hurt he is,” Smith revealed.
The rant did harm Brown’s confidence. After being part of the trade, Kwame Brown was tossed around the league. The 2001 draft’s #1 pick represented five franchises from 2008 onwards before retiring in 2013.
