Doug Gottlieb accused Stephen A. Smith of race-baiting for reporting Black NBA coaches condemned JJ Redick’s podcast with LeBron James.
Last week, Smith questioned the timing of James and Redick launching their basketball-centric Mind the Game podcast during the NBA season, particularly while Darvin Ham was on the hot seat for the Lakers. Smith then followed that take up by claiming he heard from Black NBA coaches who took issue with the podcast. Recently, Gottlieb ripped Smith on his Fox Sports Radio show for race-baiting.
“Let me state this really carefully,” Gottlieb began. “Stephen A. Smith is a race-baiter. He is disgraceful saying that on national TV. Disgraceful. JJ Redick and LeBron James are clearly friends. They have a relationship. They have mutual respect for one another. The only one who’s making it out to be a racial thing is Stephen A. Smith. He is creating this. This is honestly pure evil. That’s what bad people do.”
“This is just as bad as the perception that President Trump stokes the white nationalist flame. Same thing. There’s no difference. No difference. None,” Gottlieb continued. “Making it out to be, somehow, a racial thing. ‘How could you do a podcast with JJ Redick?’ Because they’re friends and he respects him. LeBron James is also friends and respects Ty Lue who coached him to an NBA championship. That one’s ok because Ty Lue, former NBA player, is Black. JJ Redick, former NBA player, is white. How is that any different? You’re not allowed to be friends with a white person?”
Smith did bring race into the conversation, but he never claimed anyone had an issue with the podcast because Redick is white. In the First Take clip Gottlieb was responding to, Smith clarified the Black NBA coaches he spoke to did not have an issue with the podcast because Redick was white, they had an issue with the podcast because they felt LeBron was undermining Darvin Ham.
Smith’s recent comments on Redick are starting to sound similar to the one-sided vendetta he has with Max Kellerman. Redick appears destined to leave ESPN and First Take for the Lakers, and instead of celebrating his colleague getting an NBA coaching opportunity, Smith has spent time condemning the podcast with LeBron, questioning the fit in Los Angeles, and noting “he’s an acquired taste.”
In the years since pushing Max Kellerman off First Take, Smith has celebrated the decision and repeatedly criticized his former debate partner. Now that Redick appears to be leaving ESPN on his terms, he seems to be drawing the same ire from Smith that Kellerman garners.
Interestingly, Gottlieb claimed he could have been the one in Kellerman’s seat taking over for Skip Bayless back in 2016 on First Take.
“When they hired Max Kellerman, there were two people up for that job,” Gottlieb said. “Me and Max Kellerman. Stephen A. Smith didn’t want to have me on that set. Probably because I would call this bull that he’s doing. We didn’t have any negative relationship. I had no negative feelings towards him. But this stuff? Gross.”
Instead of being on First Take with Smith, he’s viciously calling him out while also serving as the head coach of a D-I basketball program at Wisconsin-Green Bay.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com