By this point in his career, Stephen A. Smith has spent tens of thousands of hours on television.
Still, if there’s one segment he’s best known for, it perhaps came in 2013, when he famously urged then-Seattle Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner to “stay off the weed.”
More accurately: “the weeeeeeeee-duh.”
Smith has since turned the warning into a catchphrase, as YouTube filled with compilations of the ESPN star warning various athletes regarding the dangers of marijuana. But on Tuesday, he put a new spin on the signature statement, suggesting that Philadelphia 76ers head coach Nick Nurse get on the weed.
“I’m getting concerned about Nick Nurse. And listen, you have heard me say… ‘stay off the weed.’ I’m encouraging him to get on some based on everything that I’ve heard weed does,” Smith told Shannon Sharpe and Tim Legler on First Take. “It’s legal in in in various states throughout the United States of America recreationally. Damn it, go ahead and use it.”
The intent behind Smith’s message was clear: considering the disastrous nature of the 76ers’ ongoing season, no one would blame Philadelphia’s head coach for turning to mind-altering substances.
“If you see Nick Nurse getting a drink after games at a bar, damn it, don’t treat him like Jimmy the Greek. Go look at your history and what I’m talking about,” he continued. “Let him drink. Let him drink, let him smoke some weed. Let him do whatever because this coach right here, you can’t be more depressed. You come there, you’re a champion as a coach. Nick Nurse can coach his butt off. That man knows what he’s doing. He’s a hell of a coach, OK? This is no indication of his gifts as a basketball mind.
“This is evidence of what happens when you are bereft of talent because the talent that you paid that you relied upon, that you trust, hasn’t shown up. I can’t imagine how depressed this man is.”
Stephen A. Smith: “I’m getting concerned about Nick Nurse. You have heard me say ‘stay off the weeeeed!’ I’m encouraging him to get on some based on everything that I’ve heard weed does… damn it, go ahead and use it… let him drink, let him smoke some weed… you can’t be more… pic.twitter.com/NzbhSdPFaO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 25, 2025
Smith went on to point out Joel Embiid’s repeated health issues and the reality that the oft-injured center’s three-year, $193 million contract extension hasn’t even kicked in yet as evidence that the Sixers currently have “no reprieve in sight.” He even went as far to suggest that Paul George might have taken less money to remain with the Los Angeles Clippers had he known this was the version of Embiid he was signing up to play with when he joined Philadelphia as a free agent last summer.
As for Smith’s stance on weed, this isn’t the first time he’s indicated a change in attitude toward the devil’s lettuce, which could ultimately become a part of his evolving platform as a potential presidential candidate. In any event, it’s worth noting that recreational marijuana remains illegal in Pennsylvania. So if Nick Nurse is going to take Smith up on his advice, he might want to consider getting a prescription or doing so during one of his team’s road trips.
