STEPHEN A. Smith has responded to Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia after his eye-opening comments about him.
Smith was called “disrespectful” by Ishbia after the First Take star labeled the NBA owner as being “on the verge of being recognized as the worst owner in the history of basketball.”
GettyPhoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia called ESPN star Stephen A. Smith “disrespectful” over calling him a historical failure[/caption] Smith has since fired back at Ishbia after Ishbia’s response to his First Take rant about the billionaire owner after the Suns missed the playoffs after playoff expectationsStephen A. called out Ishbia on First Take after a Suns 36-46 campaign that ended with coach Mike Budenholzer’s firing earlier in the week, despite a roster that includes stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Ishbia will be hiring the team’s fourth head coach in as many years, and it appears that the major move this offseason will be trading Durant.
Smith deemed Ishbia a historic failure, despite the 45-year-old only purchasing the team in 2022.
Ishbia shot down Stephen A.’s comments on his tenure so far, while taking a personal shot at him.
“Stephen A. Smith?” the billionaire and former Michigan State point guard asked reporters during a press conference.
“I don’t take him seriously, and honestly, I don’t think many do.”
Smith didn’t waste time in replying to Ishbia’s comments on social media, writing on X to his six million followers, “I look forward to responding to this on @FirstTake tomorrow morning.
“I love how folks intentionally misconstrue just to avoid the real subject at hand….what I was really saying.
“But that’s okay! I look very much forward to providing clarification.
“My pleasure.
“See y’all in the morning!”
Smith’s rant about Ishbia put him in a category with Donald Sterling, who was forced to sell the Los Angeles Clippers over racist statements, and Robert Sarver, whose own controversies led to him selling the Suns to Ishbia.
During the press conference, Ishbia mentioned Smith’s past criticism of the league’s stars before going further about his own feud with the fiery sports personality.
“The things he said about Kevin Durant, just wrong and disrespectful,” Ishbia said.
APIshbia has been the Suns’ owner since 2022 and has since had to fire four different coaches[/caption]“The things he said about LeBron James, just disrespectful and inappropriate.
“With that being said, I don’t really think Stephen A. believes what he said.
“I think he’s doing his thing, he’s on the mic and… I think he’ll apologize to me because it’s disrespectful to put my name aligned with anybody that was kicked out of the league or no longer part (of the NBA).”
Smith will likely address Ishbia’s latest remarks on First Take on Friday, as the 57-year-old alluded to in his latest X post.
The Suns will likely move Durant this offseason before the future Hall of Famer turns 37 in September, but Ishbia has shared his public support of Booker, who is 28 and has also been in trade rumors.
Stephen A. Smith's journey through media
STEPHEN A. Smith is now the face of ESPN and an executive producer on First Take having initially started working for the company back in 2003.
Smith has held various roles with the network, including hosting radio shows, SportsCenter contributions, and appearing on NBA Countdown.
He was a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1994 to 2010.
His began as an NBA writer before becoming a general sports columnist.
Before that, Smith worked as a reporter with Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News, and the New York Daily News.
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