Stephen A. Smith regrets insulting Kwame Brown: ‘I wish I could do that over.’

Kwame Brown’s NBA career may not have been filled with crowning achievements, but getting Stephen A. Smith to admit he was wrong should certainly rate.

Smith was a guest on the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, and during the appearance, the ESPN host was asked if there were any moments in his career that he would like to do over.

“I wish I could do that over. I wouldn’t do it.”

Stephen A Smith keeps it real on his infamous Kwame Brown comments 💯

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— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) August 14, 2023

“Kwame Brown, I wish I could do that over,” Smith immediately answered. “I wouldn’t do it. I know what I said. I did mean it. I ain’t gonna sit here and tell you I ain’t mean the sh*t I said. But I didn’t know it was going to be like this.”

In 2008, the Los Angeles Lakers traded Brown and others to the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol. Shortly after it was announced, Smith went on ESPN to discuss the deal and he chastised Brown, who was already deemed a bust, for being a centerpiece in the trade.

“It’s Kwame Brown, who cares? Kwame Brown is gone,” Smith ranted in 2008. “The city of angels, you should be celebrating. Throw a parade already whether you win a championship or not. This man was a bonafide scrub. He can’t play, no disrespect whatsoever, but I’m sorry to tell everybody the truth, the man cannot play the game of basketball.”

Two years ago, Brown went on a media tirade, making it clear that not only does he remember what Smith said about him in 2008, but he still felt disrespected by it. At the time, Smith responded to Brown’s rant and blasted the former NBA player for ripping the analysts who were critical of his play on the court. Smith ended his response with an 80-second blooper reel from Brown’s NBA career. But two years later, Smith is now expressing some remorse over his initial comments.

“Remember, I said it before Twitter and Facebook,” Smith said on Podcast P. “I didn’t know, 15 years later they were gonna have memes and videos and when I see what he says, I realize how hurt he is.”

Not realizing the commentary was going to go viral is a strange defense. Smith mocked Brown, whether it was going to be seen by 10,000 people or 10 million people shouldn’t really matter. Too often, sports pundits get personal when talking about players, and Brown clearly thought “bonafide scrub” crossed the line.

[Podcast P]