Stephen A. Smith was displeased over the notion that Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton might have been referred to him when he called out the media.
Meanwhile, someone who was actually affected by Smith was much more direct in their criticism of him.
Last week, SiriusXM announced Smith would launch two shows on their satellite radio service, one being a daily sports show on Mad Dog Sports Radio. The timeframe of that daily show coincided with Beadle and Decker, hosted by veteran sports media personalities Michelle Beadle and Cody Decker. The duo was blindsided by the news and voiced their displeasure the next day while on the air (and elsewhere). A day later, SiriusXM fired Beadle and Decker.
Fast-forward to this past week when Tyrese Haliburton criticized the media following the Pacers’ NBA Finals Game 3 win on Wednesday. While he didn’t mention Smith by name, he chided “talking heads” who don’t know what they’re talking about.
We’ll leave it to Smith’s therapist to break down why he decided that description fit him, but the First Take host fired back on Thursday, saying that if Haliburton were making this personal, he would too.
“If he was talking about me…players far more accomplished and more superior have made their efforts trying to call me out,” Smith said on ESPN. “How has that worked out? I’ll be here no matter what, remember that wins a chip.
“Just in case he was talking about me, my brother, I’m not going away. I’m gonna be here awhile.”
Decker seemed to have heard enough out of Smith and took to social media to take a shot of his own.
“Those that empowered this little b*tch,” he wrote on X.
Those that have empowered this little bitch… https://t.co/HhRayPAkMZ
— Cody Decker (@Decker6) June 12, 2025
Decker is hardly the only person tired of hearing from Smith, especially when he makes himself the story, but there’s an understandable second layer of distaste that Decker has for the First Take host.