Professional screamer Stephen A. Smith went full Stephen A. Smith the only way he knows how over the past few days. To truly understand the depths of this man’s absurdity, we have to go all the way back to Friday, when ESPN colleague Marc Stein wrote a story about Carmelo Anthony.
In Stein’s piece, the 32-year-old Anthony talks about his potential legacy if he were to finish his career without winning an NBA championship.
“Most athletes don’t have an opportunity to say that they won a gold medal, better yet three gold medals,” Anthony said. “I would be very happy walking away from the game knowing that I’ve given the game everything I have, knowing I played on a high level at every level: high school, college, won [a championship at Syracuse] in college and possibly three gold medals.
“I can look back on it when my career is over — if I don’t have an NBA championship ring — and say I had a great career.”
That italicized if is Stein’s emphasis, so he’s making it clear that in no way has Anthony resigned himself to leaving the game or the New York Knicks without a ring. For Anthony, it’s a reasoned, measured take about a career that’s in the process of winding down. And it’s a correct take, too.
Reasoned, measured, and correct takes, however, are not why Smith is on First Take. Smith is a Knicks fan, a doofus and a defender of domestic abuser Floyd Mayweather, so it should be no surprise he shredded Anthony for … well, no reason other than Smith doesn’t understand how to read – and it made him a sad Knicks fan.
“I’ve never been more disappointed in words that come out of his mouth,” said the man that belongs in a comments section instead of on television. “First of all, Carmelo Anthony probably has no clue how he came across saying what he said. He doesn’t realize he gave Knicks fans a reason to return their season tickets or to ask for their money back.”
It goes on from there, and there’s really no difference between what Smith said and what your average idiot Knicks fan would say. HE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP HOW DARE HE?!?! But Anthony didn’t say that. Smith even says that Anthony doesn’t understand how he “came across,” which seems to insinuate that Smith knows what he meant, but instead of clarifying what his alleged close friend said, he rips him like an angry Knicks fan would.
Also, you have to truly appreciate the lack of self-awareness Smith must have to tell someone they have no clue how they come across when talking.
So over the weekend, probably after Anthony called Smith to be like, “Dude, are you really this stupid?” Smith backed off those statements. He apologized, but also ripped Stein for using quotes out of context (he didn’t) then read a quote he got directly from Anthony.
Here’s where it gets to levels maybe Smith has touched once or twice ever. From The New York Post:
“He specifically said, according to him, ‘Of course I’ve still got a few years to go. Of course I’m pursuing an NBA championship and I’m starving for it. If I look back on my career and I don’t win a championship and what I have to lean on is what I accomplished in college, what I accomplished in the pros, what I accomplished in Olympic competition, I’m going to look at my career as being a great career. But I have unfinished business, trust me on that.’”
“In other words, what he was trying to say was that by no means was he trying to give the impression that under any circumstances that two or three gold medals would be satisfactory for him,” said Smith, who harped throughout about how close he and Anthony are. “And for me, of all people, to sit up there and imply otherwise was incredibly insulting to him.”
There’s almost nothing different about the substance of the quotes Smith obtained compared to the ones Stein got first-hand. “If I look back on my career and don’t win a championship … I’m going to look at my career as being a great career.” Somehow that sounds okay to Smith, but the original quote did not.
This man is a millionaire.
It’s sort of magnificent how ESPN can manufacture stories through their own ignorance. Consider the timeline:
- Stein writes a story that in no way insinuates Anthony doesn’t care about winning an NBA title. Good job!
- Smith goes on TV and shreds Anthony because he doesn’t care about winning an NBA title (and also because Smith is a whiny Knicks fan). Bad job!
- Smith goes on TV again to clarify statements that only he misunderstood and savages his extremely responsible co-worker in the process, which will probably lead to another story this week. Worse job!
This is a classic case of a media type loving that he’s buddy-buddy with a pro athlete, and when that pro athlete calls him personally to be like, “What are you doing, saying this stuff about me?” the bad media type refuses to blame himself for getting something wrong and instead throws a co-worker under the bus to get back in the sports man’s good graces.