San Francisco 49ers, Stephen A. Smith
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(Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
The war of words between Stephen A Smith and the New Orleans Pelicans continue after yesterday’s social media drama. Smith made some insulting comments about Pelicans’ superstar Zion Williamson and his eating habits throughout the years.
Williamson recently discussed his struggles with others mocking his weight in past years to upset Smith. The Pelicans’ social media page went back and forth mocking Smith for his lackluster basketball skills.
Smith said the following today on ESPN’s First Take:
“My popularity is bigger than anybody on your team outside of Zion. 65 games have been played and you’re still searching for your 20th victory. Yall are horrible. You’ve never been to a Conference Finals in the franchise’s history, but you got the time to clap back at me.
Well, if you’re gonna do that, at least tell America why? It’s the only thing that can make you relevant. I’m talking strictly to your social media department and their pathetic asses. Could you find a basketball reason to be relevant? Could you find a basketball reason to remind us why you should exist? Could you find a basketball reason to remind us why we should care?”
Smith blasted the entire Pelicans’ franchise for holding minimal relevance today and accomplishing little in the broader picture of the NBA. First Take featured Smith going at the Pelicans for over five minutes straight.
Pelicans Social Media Defended Zion Williamson
New Orleans felt Williamson was being attacked by Smith in bad faith. Zion was just being honest about the difficulties of having the media mock his weight during a season recovering from a broken foot. However, Smith felt that Williamson refused to take accountability for his issues.
The Pelicans Twitter page decided to mock Stephen A over his poor basketball skills and for his alleged role in removing host Max Kellerman from First Take. Smith made it clear he was preparing to trash the New Orleans franchise more on television today and did not hold back.
Despite being the one to make things personal, Smith didn’t lie about his criticism of the franchise achieving minimal success. The Pelicans never getting to the conference finals is a brutal insult that won’t be combated until they finally get there.
Can Zion Williamson Shut Up Stephen A Smith?
The only way for Williamson to silence Smith is to accomplish noteworthy success on the basketball court. Zion is having a great statistical season, but the lack of team success makes it look like another failed year.
Williamson must find a way to make the Pelicans relevant again by entering the playoff race or experiencing team success with another franchise. Smith is adamant that he had sources claiming that Zion prioritized eating over getting into good basketball shape for years.
LeBron James was recently seen offering support to Williamson after the two played against each other on Monday night. James is no stranger to having a personal beef with Smith. Zion was likely given the support of LeBron due to the latter knowing exactly how personal Stephen A’s insults can be.