Baron Davis isn’t sure why Stephen A. Smith brought Draymond Green’s name up.
Green already has his hands full with his own controversies, so Davis is baffled why Smith would bring him up. On The Draymond Green Show, Green’s co-host questioned why Smith would involve the Warriors star. ESPN’s $100 million man, however, explained that he and Green used to be close — until Green seemingly severed ties after Smith’s comments about Bronny James.
Smith went on a diatribe on his The Stephen A. Smith Show, which amounted to the First Take star being upset with Green for not picking up the phone and hashing out their differences. But based on how Green reacted to “media” on the latest episode of his podcast, he might have a better chance at reconciling with Karl-Anthony Towns.
“A lot of problems that guys have with media is to call something that man did ‘bullsh*t’ and ‘weak,’ like those are words like where we grew up, you get hands put on you,” Green explained. “So, I think the problem that people have with media is, you go on there, and you like, ‘Oh, that’s weak.’ Weak? Calling another man weak? That’s just, that’s not basketball, which is actually what Bron was saying in the first place. ‘Let’s keep it basketball,’ because calling a man ‘weak,’ that’s not basketball, and you’re paid to talk about basketball.
“You called Bron ‘weak’ for stepping to you, but you’re taking shots at him as a father on TV, behind a camera. Most would say, ‘That’s weak.’ And I know he’ll say, ‘I’m paid to do that.’ No, you’re paid to analyze; you’re paid to debate on the show.”
ESPN pays Smith for those very reasons, but it’s clear he knows how to make himself the story. He turns any situation into a news cycle, then takes his narrative on a podcast tour to defend it. The Worldwide Leader has undoubtedly benefited from Smith’s flair for theatrics, but whether you agree with his take on LeBron as a father is up to you.
What’s undeniable is Smith’s skill at creating drama for his own gain.
And not for nothing, most of the clips of Smith telling LeBron to “stop the charade” with Bronny have all come from his podcast.
But Green wanted to make it clear to Smith, whether through intermediaries (Bob Myers) or on his podcast, that he has “zero respect” for what he said.
“You go on TV, national TV, calling out this Black father, who’s raised another successful Black man,” says Green. “And you go on TV calling him out as a father because his son played in the NBA? That’s ass backwards. You’re on national TV condemning a Black man as a father because his son is playing in the NBA, like how does that even make sense?”
Green then went on a rant, saying he thinks it’s “wack” that ESPN and Smith spend time talking about the 55th pick. He pointed out that outside of Manu Ginóbili and Isaiah Thomas, he couldn’t name many players selected later than 55th overall. He slammed Smith for focusing on Bronny in light of his draft position while ignoring that Bronny wouldn’t have been drafted at all if his last name wasn’t James.
“To see him just going at this man as a father,” Green continued. “This man said, ‘LeBron, you need to stop. As a father, you need to stop.’ What? Huh? And then you throw out the excuse, ‘Well, he the one [who] said that Bronny’s better than NBA players.’ You name me one parent that don’t think their kid isn’t better than anybody. That is a common thing for parents that’s in sports. We all think our kid is better than what they are. That is the nature of the beast. My mama thought I was better than I was. That is a nature of a parent in sports.
“But to go on TV and say, ‘You need to stop it as a father,’ then, go, and he stepped to you about that and then say it was ‘weak’ on TV. Because the demeanor in person was (*Green nodding accordingly*)… But then on TV, you go, ‘Oh, that was bullsh*t.’ Like, come on, man.”
Green also clarified that he’s not avoiding Smith because of Bronny.
“It’s not that,” he offered. “I don’t have much to say to that.”
