Stephen A. Smith insists on everyone using his middle initial so you can figure out what kind of guy he is.
But however much of an egotistical assh**** he is, he’s a nationally-influential and widely followed political and sports commentator.
So it was not for nothing Thursday when he told Celtic crybaby Jaylen Brown to STFU.
Brown, of course, is as much of a hot head as Stephen A. Smith.
Jaylen has been whining since the Celtics lost their playoffs that he’s not appreciated as the star that he thinks he is.
So on his podcast Thursday, Stephen A. Smith told him to just shut up.
Like, just shut up, Jaylen. We’re tired of hearing from you.
“Folks are looking out for you and you don’t even realize it,” Smith said. “Here you are making this kind of noise and it hasn’t even been a week since you lost a 3-1 lead.”
That’s when Jaylen fired back and told Stephen A. Smith “you need to retire.”
“I’ll ‘be quiet’ / stop streaming if you ‘be quiet’ and retire,” Brown told Smith.
Brown and Smith may not be having much of a good time but it sure is great entertainment for those of us who like to hear two famous Hot Heads argue back and forth over America’s airwaves and, for extra measure, on X.
Yahoo Sports had so much fun with it they featured it on their Facebook page.
Brown famously feels he’s not getting enough attention for the great basketball player he is.
And indeed, the reality is, he’s a superstar on the court.
But he’s no Jayson Tatum.
Tatum’s numbers on the court are much better than Brown’s, but the problem with Tatum is he’s been injured so he hasn’t been able to play much.
In other words, Tatum, for all his $60 million a year, was useless this year for the Celtics and they lost the playoffs after being ahead three games to one.
Brown was considered to be the backup for Tatum.
But all was for naught, as the Celtics went home empty-handed, losing their lead to Philadelphia.
Since then Jaylen has been complaining that the refs treat him unfairly.
The NBA suits got so tired of hearing his whining that they fined him $50,000 last week for criticizing the refs on his podcast.
Stephen A. Smith, meanwhile, was as tired as are the NBA suits of listening to Jaylen Brown complain about how he gets treated – not only by the refs but by team management.
So Stephen A. Smith – don’t forget the middle initial – told Brown on Thursday to shut it.
That’s when Brown told Smith to just go away and retire.
Stephen A. Smith, BTW, considers himself a possible presidential candidate in 2028. Smith claims he’s only teasing a run, because he doesn’t want to give up the $40 million a year that he currently makes flapping his gums.
