"Like somebody insulted your mama" - Stephen A. Smith calls out Rashad McCants for misquoting him on Kobe Bryant

NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith had some strong words about former player Rashad McCants, who lambasted him for his take on Kobe Bryant. The analyst's opinion didn't sit well with a few people, including the former player.

According to Smith, he didn't include the late Kobe Bryant among the game's top-2 players, as he sees things differently. He believes that it's a battle between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. McCants didn't like Bryant being left off from the list and called out on Gil's Arena.

He said that Smith didn't have the energy to tell the former LA Lakers superstar when he was alive. McCants told the ESPN analyst to let Bryant rest and not use his name for anything.

Smith responded on his podcast recently, calling out the former 14th pick (starting at the 3:00 mark).

"Respectfully, you don't know what the hell you're talking about," Smith said. "You don't have a godd*** clue, period. You don't know.

"I have never, nor will I ever diminish the Black Mamba. Number two, I didn't have the energy when he was here? Kobe was a friend of mine. I told Kobe to his face when he was alive.

Smith responded that McCants took his take too personally, which has prevented them from having a decent basketball conversation:

"We can't talk about basketball without you going on a podcast going the hell off like somebody insulted your mama? Or you brother? Or your friend? Or somebody? Maybe that's what Kobe was to you."

The former Minnesota Timberwolves guard hasn't responded, but expect him to on Gilbert Arenas' podcast.

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What did Stephen A. Smith say about Kobe Bryant?

The back-and-forth between Stephen A. Smith and McCants started when the ESPN analyst disagreed with the take of former NBA star Allen Iverson.

The former Philadelphia 76ers star claimed that Bryant is the second-greatest basketball player in NBA history. While some agree with Iverson, Smith didn't.

"Kobe Bryant is not the second greatest player in NBA history," Smith said. "That's just not true. It's just not!"

Smith pointed out that James has outdone Bryant in almost all categories. The only thing that Bryant still has over the four-time MVP is that he won five titles.

Smith, though, acknowledges the greatness of Bryant and has said publicly that the 2008 MVP is a top-10 player of all time.