Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. dominated Saturday night’s Final Four matchup against Auburn. In the process, he impressed Stephen A. Smith — we think.
Clayton scored 34 points, easily a game-high as nobody else from either team had more than 18. That helped the Gators win 79-73 after trailing 46-38 at halftime. As the Gators were putting the game away in the second half, Smith shared his feelings on Clayton’s performance.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, just in case you did not know: this brother from @GatorsMBK , his name is Walter Clayton Jr, and he is something special,” Smith posted on X. “This brother is the real deal. Reminds me of @DetroitPistons big time guard Wade Cunningham.”
Ladies and Gentlemen, just in case you did not know: this brother from @GatorsMBK, his name is Walter Clayton Jr, and he is something special. This brother is the real deal. Reminds me of @DetroitPistons big time guard Wade Cunningham.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 6, 2025
While we understand being impressed by Clayton’s performance, the comparison to Wade Cunningham is confusing — given that Wade Cunningham is a former IndyCar Series driver.
Ok. https://t.co/wOakCrBJnu pic.twitter.com/t3lQq1oa8p
— Doc Holliday (@The_DocHolliday) April 6, 2025
Relax everybody he’s just a real gearhead https://t.co/hqxQnvrdBe pic.twitter.com/xtNtxSW9A9
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) April 6, 2025
I do see a little resemblance pic.twitter.com/RAeBaGOoLu
— NBANFLSTAN (@Thebestatit2000) April 6, 2025
We’re assuming that Smith meant Cade Cunningham, the fourth-year star of the Detroit Pistons. Of course, nobody is immune from making an occasional typo. That said, the “W” and “C” aren’t keyboard neighbors.
So, several people had some fun with Smith’s comparison.
Wade Cunningham. https://t.co/pPnvtaRecp
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 6, 2025
https://t.co/5e2aHtCb0l pic.twitter.com/W5JBAyQ0be
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) April 6, 2025
ESPN paid this man $100 million. https://t.co/sqfxaZh7Oi
— College Sports Only 🏈 🏀 ⚾️ (@CollegeSportsO) April 6, 2025
Wade Cunningham is crazy https://t.co/65DuI0KAbP
— Pistons Talk (@Pistons__Talk) April 6, 2025
This guy is the biggest meme on the planet. Just a hilariously ridiculous comparison and called him Wade Cunningham 😂 https://t.co/gox0ZRIAqo
— Will Rucker (@Will_Rucker3_AD) April 6, 2025
first time watching basketball, Stephen?
— Elliott Pohnl (@ElliottPohnl) April 6, 2025
This is the “face” of NBA coverage https://t.co/AXFijh3UIo
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) April 6, 2025
Stick to politics
— Ballsack Sports (@BallsackSports) April 6, 2025
It’s also notable that, while Clayton and Cunningham are both guards, they have some pretty notable differences. Clayton is listed at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. Cunningham — Cade Cunningham — meanwhile, is 6-foot-6, 220 pounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder stars Jalen Williams and Alex Caruso recently said that the national media didn’t know how to cover the league. We can see their point here.
We’re just thankful he didn’t call him “Walter Payton.”
