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Stephen A. Smith is seemingly not over his beef with colleagues Jason Whitlock and Marcellus Wiley for criticizing him on the Max Kellerman issue. He went on to take a dig at them in a recent episode of 'The Stephen A. Smith Show'.
While discussing the appearance of Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan on the podcast of Pablo Torre, who he used to work with over at ESPN, Smith threw shade at Whitlock and Wiley by saying they are not one to be rooted for.
He said:
“Pablo Torre, my former colleague at ESPN, great guy … he's doing great things. Always root for my colleagues [but] not all of them you know. Not the fat bastar**.
"I don't root for people like that. Y'all know who the hell I'm talking about. We ain't stuttering but I won't mention that I don't root for the Fat basta**, okay but most of my colleagues I root for and Pablo Torre is one of them.”
Check out what Smith had to say in the video below, beginning at 3:00:
Whitlock and Wiley drew the ire of Stephen A. Smith after criticizing him online for what they deemed to be a disservice he made to former “First Take” partner Kellerman, who was forced to leave the show in 2022.
The host of “The Stephen A. Smith Show” went on to call Whitlock a “fat bastar*” over it while telling Wiley that he was utterly disappointed with the former pro footballer’s actions.
Stephen A. Smith wants Ben Simmons to return from “irrelevance” this season
Stephen A. Smith believes in the capabilities of Ben Simmons as a player and wants the Brooklyn Nets guard to start showcasing them again this season.
The three-time NBA All-Star spent most of the previous two years on the sidelines for varying reasons, including injuries.
He split time between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Nets, where he was traded in exchange for James Harden midway into last season.
He played 42 games for Brooklyn, averaging 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.3 steals.
In the lead-up to the latest NBA season, Smith made it known that he was disappointed over the underwhelming showing of Simmons and wanted him to start picking things up again.
He shared on his podcast:
“I have to confess to you that to some degree, it’s a little personal. I’m pretty pissed off with Ben Simmons right now. Seriously. I think Ben Simmons at this particular moment is trifling as hell. And I say that respectfully because I like him.
"I loved him as a player when he played. And I like him as a person. He’s a nice guy … But I have a problem with him because he’s actually talking before he does. This brother has been basketball’s version of Mr. Irrelevant for the last two years.”
Check what he had to say below, beginning at 0:30:
Good for Smith, Simmons has seemingly heard him and is now playing with more spirit for the Nets early in the season.
He has been posting all-around numbers of 7.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.3 blocks in 31.3 minutes. More importantly, he has shown more commitment to making a difference in Brooklyn (2-2) this time around.
