Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green calls out ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith regarding his back-and-forth with Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James. After Green called Smith out for his initial comments on James’ son, Bronny James, Draymond stepped back into updating his take on Stephen A, referring to violence and having his altercation with LeBron turn physical.
After Smith criticised Green for suggesting a violent act while playing basketball, Draymond said the ESPN analyst’s take was hypocritical, per the Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.
“I was a little baffled by [Stephen A. Smith] saying that he would’ve swung on [LeBron James] after he just kind of questioned me saying, ‘when you talk like that where I’m from, you get hands put on you,’ trying to use my basketball my career, and things that have happened on the basketball court to try to use it against me for my next career,” Green said. “I saw him do that. And then, to come out, and do the very thing you tried to use against me, I thought was a little, not only petty, but contradictory to what you just did.”
Green, potentially alluding to a video of Smith working with a boxing trainer from a couple of years ago, says throwing hands is the last thing an NBA analyst such as Stephen A. should be mentioning.
“You’ve had moments before, you need to not say nothing about hands. But then, you start talking about swinging on someone,” Green added. “I just remember the day when the media would just talk basketball, and that was that.”
Draymond Green rips Stephen A Smith over LeBron James take
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Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) argues a call against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
This isn’t the first time Warriors forward Draymond Green has been furious with Stephen A Smith. Green called Smith out for contacting him to say it’s been challenging to talk about Draymond amid suspensions and controversy. The Warriors veteran couldn’t contain himself this time regarding Lakers All-Star LeBron James.
Green says that Smith went too far by bringing fatherhood into LeBron’s situation with his son, Bronny.
“Calling another man weak? That’s just … Not basketball,” Green said. “Which is actually what ‘Bron was saying in the first place.”
We’ll see what happens next between Smith and James.