Luka Doncic‘s 73-point explosion against the Atlanta Hawks has been the talk of the town in the NBA community for the past two days or so. However, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith recently took the bizarre route of critiquing the Hawks’ defensive effort rather than crediting Doncic for his incredible performance. While most media analysts compared Doncic’s score to other historic performances, Smith’s unique take rubbed NBA fans the wrong way.
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On ESPN’s First Take, the veteran analyst said, “Let’s not go overboard with this. The fans want this? No, the league wanted it…Did you see that? I mean, that was a layup line. That was the Atlanta Hawks. No wonder why y’all stink. Did you see how they played defense, last night?”
However, Smith had a different take when Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid scored 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs last week. He said, “The message that [Joel] Embiid sent to the rest of the league [is that] this brother is phenomenal, arguably the best big man in the game. Obviously [Denver Nuggets’ Nikola] Jokic warrants our consideration. The message he sent is he’s going for the championship and not messing around. He’s already got the league MVP. I think that’s the message he’s trying to send.”
Fans were furious with Smith’s difference in attitude towards two similar performances. It was baffling, considering the Spurs have the worst record in the Western Conference while the Hawks are in a play-in spot. Many fans accused the analyst of being racist. They seemed to claim that Smith is downplaying Doncic’s performance because he’s white. Here’s a few reactions:
Because he’s white Stephen. Just say it.
— Nary (@binarydances) January 28, 2024
The dude had the most efficient high scoring game in history. He wasn’t chucking or being selfish. It was the perfect game. Unfortunately Luka’s skin color doesn’t work for Stephen A and a bunch of other media members
— CoolHandElias (@CoolHandElias) January 27, 2024
Stephen A Smith has been quite obviously racist (when it comes to basketball at least) for quite a long time. Shaq is also like this. If luka was black and american the media would treat him completely differently. They don’t want a white guy being this good. https://t.co/MQ6qD8onoo
— The Mavdalorian (@TheMavdalorian) January 27, 2024
One fan said that he’s on board with Smith’s point about the soft foul calls but also pointed out that he did not bring that up while discussing Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Devin Booker‘s incredible performances over the past fortnight.
Where was this reaction whenever Embid, KAT, etc went off for crazy numbers? We all know why the reaction towards Luka is the way it is. However, he is correct in his no defense thing, I am tired of ticky tack fouls and awful defense like the AS game. #MFFL https://t.co/Nb6MC8NokJ
— Jordan Coleman (@ColeStang135) January 28, 2024
“When it was Embiid, he was ‘dominant’. When it was Booker, he’s an ‘assassin’. When it’s Luka hitting ridiculous shots and less FT’s, NBA defences are trash. Just say what your issue really is Stephen A,” another fan wrote.
Fans dismissed Smith’s bizarre take on Doncic’s stellar outing as asinine. However, it’s not the first time the analyst has downplayed the Dallas Mavericks star’s ability. In 2019, a segment on First Take discussed a hypothetical trade that included all active NBA players. The goal was to pick a player to start a franchise. Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was on top with Doncic in second.
Smith bizarrely claimed Doncic was only in the top 15 in this hypothetical trade because he was European. The analyst didn’t seem too fond of the Mavericks guard back then as well.
Stephen A. Smith had come under fire for similar comments against Japanese MLB star Shohei Ohtani in 2022. The ESPN analyst claimed that Ohtani’s inability to speak English hurts the league’s box office appeal among fans. The take received a lot of flak from baseball fans who pointed out that many famous athletes around the world don’t speak English. And that generally has no impact on the appeal of their craft.
Comparing Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid’s incredible outings
Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid’s dominant performances were equally jaw-dropping. However, if the two were to be compared, the Mavericks superstar’s performance was slightly more impressive. The Hawks and the Spurs are in the bottom five in the NBA in points allowed per game. So neither player had a significant advantage in that regard.
However, Doncic attempted 33 shots and banked 25. He was 8-of-13 from beyond the arc and shot 15-of-16 from the free-throw line. His true shooting percentage was an incredible 91. He also had ten rebounds and seven assists, along with 73 points. On the other hand, Embiid shot 25-of-41 from the field, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. He attempted 23 free throws and banked 21 for 70 points. He had an impressive 18 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end and five assists. He finished with a true shooting percentage of 68.5.
Additionally, the Mavericks were playing without Kyrie Irving while the 76ers were at full strength. Considering all parameters, it’s clear that Doncic had a slightly more impressive performance than Embiid, rendering Smith’s dismissive attitude towards it even more ludicrous.
