Latest news with #StephenASmith
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Stephen A. Smith accused of 'ruining' the NBA Draft as criticism mounts against $100m ESPN star
ESPN star Stephen A. Smith has been accused of 'ruining' the NBA Draft by basketball fans on social media as well as others who cover the sport, such as OutKick's Dan Dakich. Dakich spent a long portion of his show on Friday airing his grievances with Smith, as the episode was titled ' WOKE ESPN & Stephen A. Smith RUINED The NBA Draft'. Smith is a staple of ESPN's NBA coverage but has rarely spent time covering the athletes being drafted this week, with Dakich, a former college head coach, taking exception with the network's decision to put him on the broadcast. 'The best in the draft was always Fran Fraschilla, but Fran Fraschilla is a middle aged white guy. Fran Fraschilla doesn't yell, scream, rant and rave and act like an idiot,' Dakich said. 'He knows every foreign player. Seth Greenberg on radio knows every current player. But you can't do it because, well, you gotta have some brothers.' 'You got to have loud, you got to have stupid. And, oh, by the way, they're paying the dude 20million a year, which is the dumbest deal in the history of television. I still say this. Can anybody show me where First Take is the highest rated show in the morning like Smith claims? Can anybody show me where Stephen A. Smith makes the money back that he's being paid, anybody? You can't, there's no chance.' Earlier this year, Smith signed a 5-year, $100million deal with the network, locking him in through 2030 to ESPN. Dakich also called the ESPN star 'Screamin' A. Smith' for how he acts on national television. Dakich and Smith were co-workers at ESPN from 2012 until 2021, with Dakich helping with the network's college basketball coverage. 'ESPN needs to stop putting Stephen A Smith on every event he is not needed for the NBA draft you got staff that been following college ball all year far more knowledgeable,' one fan said on social media. Smith has been under a microscope for all of 2025, first toying with a run to be the Democratic nominee for President in 2028. Earlier this month, he came under fire for not paying attention during an NBA Finals Game, as he was caught playing on his phone while the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers squared off in front of him. Smith responded on X: 'Yep! That's me. Who would've thought….I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS! Hope y'all are enjoying the NBA Finals. This is going 7 games now, peeps!' Yet, the photographer named Kimberly hit back in an instant, shutting down Smith's claim that it was captured during a timeout. 'Fool, this was you during game play,' she replied along with another picture of him tackling the card game. 'There's videos. You started this new round during timeouts.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
ESPN's second-round NBA Draft coverage began with tedious conversation no one asked for
It turns out that ESPN's insistence on shoving its television personalities down its audience's throat isn't limited to the grating Stephen A. Smith. Even worse, in tandem, it seems the NBA is all too committed to being late to the start time of the NBA Draft, not just its games. On Friday night, the NBA world eagerly awaited the start of the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft at the listed start time of 8:00 p.m. Eastern. And waited. And waited. And waited. It took nearly 20 minutes for the first pick of the second round (Rasheer Fleming to the Phoenix Suns) to go off the board. Advertisement How did ESPN fill the gap created by a clearly delayed (intentionally or not) start of the second round, you might ask? It had its NBA studio panel, featuring Malika Andrews, Jay Bilas, Bobby Marks, Bob Myers, and Brian Windhorst, conduct random chit-chat about developments from the first round of the draft. Again, this happened, with everyone else twiddling their thumbs waiting for the draft to start. It was almost as if the network and the NBA decided to let a much-criticized studio panel flex its muscles to a skeptical and impatient viewing audience. What ESPN continues to fail to understand is that people still want the live analysis and conversation to be better. They still want people who can talk about basketball with nuance and focus on basketball to be featured more. At the same time, though, they don't want that conversation to preempt the actual basketball or hopeful basketball team-building. The analysis is not the star of the coverage, and it never has been. It's a comforting conduit to let people tune in for what they really want to pay attention to, nothing more. It's also not as if anyone who wants to watch the draft has another option to watch outside of ESPN, which kind of feels like something the network readily takes advantage of. As such, ESPN's continued response to criticism feels perfunctory. It also shows that it's probably not entirely listening to what people are saying. But is anyone surprised there? Advertisement Until the network understands this dynamic (to be candid, it probably does, but chooses not to), it seems we're destined to keep running on this hamster wheel of failure. Hoops fans couldn't believe that even the start of the NBA draft's second round was late: This article originally appeared on For The Win: NBA Draft start time on Friday was delayed because of ESPN
Fox News
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Who is Cooper Flagg? New NBA phenom sparking debate and conspiracy theories
Amid declining TV ratings, the NBA welcomed its newest young superstar to the league on Wednesday night when Cooper Flagg was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks out of Duke. As one of the most hyped prospects in recent NBA history, many experts are anointing the 6-foot-9 Maine native as potentially the next face of the league. Here's everything to know about Flagg, who has already made some noteworthy history before even stepping onto an NBA court: The last time a White American-born player like Flagg was the first pick in the NBA Draft was Kent Benson in 1977. Since then, every first overall pick has been either a minority, foreign-born, or both. ESPN star Stephen A. Smith made a comment about Flagg's skin color during a televised discussion on the network with co-host Jay Williams in March while discussing the phenom's marketability in the NBA. "Think about all the conversations that we have, regardless of whether players like it or not, I hate it, but it's a real thing about, who is gonna be the face of the league?" Williams asked. "Cooper Flagg now. There are pictures of him in college basketball with his face and the American flag behind it. Think about everything happening in our country right now. About what it means to be America. 'America first.' Okay? He's from Maine. He's not like from one of these cities, he's from Maine, representing the bigger grand stage of the country." Smith interjected, saying, "I love what you brought up. Cooper Flagg, the American flag, and let's call it what it is, white. We see some of these European brothers, but again, European is not American. When you look at it from that standpoint, the marketability." Smith followed up on the subject with similar comments in May during an episode of ESPN's "First Take." "When you've got somebody with that kind of potential, and they're White and you are in America, you keep that dude. I'm telling you right now," Smith said. "The first order of business is he can ball. It's because he can play, but the fact that he's White, marketable — even his name makes him more marketable. I'm not passing that up at all." Meanwhile, the British news outlet "The Guardian" published a feature in December titled "Cooper Flagg: the 17-year-old 'cold-a-- white boy' breaking the basketball discourse." The article referred to Flagg as "the next great White hope, Caitlin Clark 2.0." The article was heavily criticized for putting such a focus on Flagg's race. The Mavericks ended up with the first selection in this year's despite having just a 1.8% chance – the 11th-best odds in the league – to land the pick in the draft lottery after finishing the season with a 39-43 record. The Mavericks' miraculous lottery result came months after the organization made a questionable trade to send superstar Luka Doncic to LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick, which many experts considered well-below value for Doncic. This sequence of events prompted many fans and pundits to speculate about potential conspiracy theories about how and why Dallas got the pick despite having such low odds for it. During Wednesday's draft at the Barclay Center in New York City, one fan in attendance jeered "Dallas was rigged," which was captured on the ESPN broadcast. Flagg himself was asked about these theories during a press conference on Wednesday night after being drafted. "I don't know what to say about that. I have no insider information, if that's what you're looking for. But I just feel blessed for the way it all worked out." Flagg was born in Newport, Maine – a state that doesn't have the glitziest history of producing basketball talent. The most prominent player to come out of Maine was former Olympic gold medalist Jeff Turner, who played for Vanderbilt in the early 1980s and played in the NBA from 1984-96. But he was out of the NBA from 1986-89 while playing in Italy. Miami Heat player Duncan Robinson was born in Maine, but he grew up in New Hampshire and went undrafted in the 2018 draft. Flagg said told The Associated Press in May that he was told his background as a Mainer prompted many to tell him he'd "never" play Division I basketball. "Growing up in Maine, there's people that told me I would never be able to make it to the next level or play Division I basketball because I'm from Maine and nobody plays up there," Flagg said. "I think just that message of it doesn't matter where you're from, as long as you work hard and trust yourself and trust your ability, then you can really accomplish anything." Flagg didn't let the skepticism impact his ambitions. "It doesn't matter where you're from," Flagg said at the draft combine. "If you have a goal, if you have a dream and you put your mind to it ... I mean, honestly, for me, it wasn't real until I was in high school, but I always loved the game of basketball. I always put the work in. I always wanted to be the best that I could be." Now, instead of a hindrance, Flagg's home state has given him a unique nickname: "The Maine Event." While most NBA stars have apparel deals with Nike or Under Armour, Flagg has taken up a different flag in the retail wars. Flagg is signed with New Balance, which is based in his home state's neighbor of Massachusetts. Other NBA stars signed with that brand include Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey, Dejounte Murray, Zach LaVine, Darius Garland and Aaron Nesmit. But now Flagg may prove to be the brand's biggest ambassador yet, as the company looks to take on the market leaders Nike and Under Armour. "I am so proud to call Maine my home state and I am grateful for all of the support I have received," Flagg said in a press release sent to Fox News Digital. "Thank you to Governor Mills and New Balance for helping to reinforce my belief in the value of teamwork and that if you stick to something and keep working, you can make anything happen." Nike has been heavily criticized over the last year by women's sports rights activists for its official company stance in supporting trans athletes in women's and girls' sports. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"There's a fan base saying, 'We lost Luka. What you got?'" - Stephen A. Smith warns Mavs fans not to pressure Cooper Flagg from the jump
"There's a fan base saying, 'We lost Luka. What you got?'" - Stephen A. Smith warns Mavs fans not to pressure Cooper Flagg from the jump originally appeared on Basketball Network. In just a few hours, the Dallas Mavericks will land a National Player of the Year in Cooper Flagg as the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft class. With the 18-year-old forward already having versatility on both ends of the floor and having already held himself together against members of the 2024 Team USA, there are speculations that he could become a face-of-the-league type product. Advertisement Even Stephen A. Smith is certain that Flagg is destined to attain stardom in the NBA, but he issued a word of caution to Mavs fans about not hampering the rookie's confidence by instantly comparing him with Luka Doncic. Smith warns the Mavs fans not to hamper the morale of Flagg Flagg played with a target on his back throughout the 2024-25 season, yet remained virtually unstoppable, averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds. 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game en route to winning the Player of the Year award. More impressively, during Team USA's scrimmages before heading to the Paris Olympics, Flagg played so incredibly well that he earned the respect of future First Ballot Hall of Famers like LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Now set to join a Dallas team that already possesses championship veterans in Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis, along with traditional rim protectors like Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford, Flagg will have the freedom to focus on developing his natural game without the pressure of anchoring them on either end of the court. Thus, Stephen A. sees him as an ideal fit on the Mavs roster. Advertisement However, he emphasized that the fans' constant comparisons between Flagg and Luka could be detrimental to Cooper's growth and confidence. "Cooper Flag is no joke, and his versatility really really comes shining through. But I'm gonna caution everybody. Ownership can mess stuff up and the fact that they let go of Luka, remember how people were reacting. Nico Harrison had to have security at his front and back. You had people wanting to kill this man for letting go of Luka Doncic," Smith said. "You gotta make sure y'all don't mess this up as an organization. The fanbase is going to be looking for something. We all think this kid is going to be special, but he's not walking into a clear-cut situation. He's walking into a situation where there's a fan base saying, 'We lost Luka. What you got?'" the renowned analyst added. The Mavericks fans need to show patience with Flagg Yes, losing Luka, the perceived heir of Dirk Nowitzki, was a tough blow for the Mavs faithful. But what these fans need to realize is that they have unexpectedly landed an opportunity to land another generational talent, one who may have even more potential to contribute at both ends of the court more than Doncic ever did. Advertisement As SAS rightly emphasized, the key for Dallas fans will be patience. Let Flagg settle into his role, play his natural game, and develop at his own pace. The pressure to win a championship should not fall on his shoulders right away. Instead, allow him the space to evolve, because if nurtured correctly, Flagg might just lead them to even greater heights. Related: "I don't think there has ever been someone that played this hard as him all the time" - Cooper Flagg reveals the one thing he admires most about Larry Bird This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stephen A. feels that the Mavericks low-balled Kyrie with his new extension: "If this were Mark Cuban, he would've had more"
Stephen A. feels that the Mavericks low-balled Kyrie with his new extension: "If this were Mark Cuban, he would've had more" originally appeared on Basketball Network. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith made a strong statement about Kyrie Irving's reported contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks. Advertisement Irving will reportedly decline his player option for the 2025-26 season to sign a three-year contract extension with the Mavs. According to SAS, Kai got lowballed because he agreed to a deal that will pay him less per year than what his player option would have paid him. "In today's economy where you got cats getting paid $55, $60 million plus, you couldn't give this guy at least $43 to $45 million a year? Remember, he was supposed to be getting a player option that would have given him $43 million. So, to me, at $119 million, that is a fraction less than $40 million per. Kyrie Irving deserves more than that. And so it has me looking at ownership because I'm saying, 'Okay, if this were Mark Cuban, he would've had more.'' No question about it. He would've made that investment," said Smith. Kyrie is worth more than $40 million per year Cuban was the Mavericks' majority owner from 2000 to 2023, when he sold the team to the Adelson family. During his tenure, Mark transformed the Mavs from doormats to champions and was known as one of the best owners in the league because he knew how to take care of the people who worked for him and always did what was best for the fans and organization. Advertisement Meanwhile, the same cannot be said about the Adelsons, at least when looking at things from the outside. The new owners traded Luka Doncic in February, giving up on a 25-year-old generational talent whom their fanbase loved like their own. And as if losing Luka wasn't bad for the fans, the new owners then increased the ticket prices after the trade, citing "ongoing investments in the team." The Mavs recently signed Daniel Gafford to a team-friendly three-year $54 million extension this offseason. And now, they're giving Irving less than $40 million a year when, in comparison, players like Bradley Beal ($53 million) and Lauri Markkanen ($46 million) make more per year. Related: "We only needed one more guy" - Patrick Beverley says the Clippers lost SGA because Kawhi thought he needed more help SAS tells Shammgod to leave Dallas Smith's rant did not end there. With rumors that the Orlando Magic are interested in hiring Mavericks player development coach God Shammgod, Stephen A. advised the former NBA player to pack his bags and join the Magic, whose head coach used to be his fellow assistant in Dallas. Advertisement "I also saw some reports about Orlando being interested in God Shammgod," added Smith. "He's an assistant coach in Dallas. I'm advising him on national TV: Leave! Get the hell out of Dallas. That new ownership, and some of the decisions that they're making to curb cost and what have you, they seem to be more about numbers rather than taking care of the people they need to take care of." It's a no-brainer that Kyrie is worth more than $40 million annually, but Irving may be considering that he won't be playing most of this season and is still getting paid. Also, Smith did not factor in what he's always been talking about, that the Mavs are a championship contender when everybody's healthy. Irving has won before and knows too well that stars need to make sacrifices to build a contender. And if Kyrie isn't complaining, why should anyone do it for him? Related: "There's a fan base saying, 'We lost Luka. What you got?'" - Stephen A. Smith warns Mavs fans not to pressure Cooper Flagg from the jump This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
