“We’re witnessing one of the most delusional athletes in American history” - Stephen A. Smith criticizes Kyrie Irving after his comments about the media, says Kyrie is trying to be slick

Stephen A. Smith did not back down from calling out Kyrie Irving for the accusations Irving directed towards the media. He called Irving one of the most delusional athletes in American history. On ESPN's "First Take," Smith stated:

"We're witnessing one of the most delusional athlete in American history. He's lost because he's so big on telling everybody else they're lost. Kyrie is also slick because he's trying to get away with something that I'm not gonna allow him to get away from."

The seven-time All-Star was heavily criticized for his inefficiency during the series against the Boston Celtics. However, Irving decided to fire shots back by slamming the media for targeting athletes.

Irving faced numerous controversies throughout the 2021-22 season. The media raised questions about his dependability and slandered him for not being there for his teammates.

After his team's first-round exit, the former champion sent out a tweet, expressing displeasure with the way the media treats athletes. Irving wrote:

"When I see my name or my brothers/sisters' names getting spun through the media, I refer to all my research about who they are. Their job is to CONTROL PUBLIC PERCEPTION, all while profiting off discussing, discrediting, and disrespecting people’s lives for entertainment."

Stephen A. Smith was enraged by Kyrie Irving's comments about the media

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets — Game 3

Kyrie Irving has had his problems with the media ever since he entered the league.

The 30-year-old is one of the most liberal athletes in the league and strongly stands by his beliefs. An example of this was his decision to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine, even though it meant that he couldn't play home games for the Brooklyn Nets.

Stephen A. Smith has been very critical of Kyrie Irving throughout the season. The veteran analyst was against the idea of signing Irving to the five-year max extension that he is eligible for this offseason.

This could have possibly inspired Irving's tweets about the media yesterday. In his response, Smith raised some very legitimate points. He highlighted Irving's lack of accountability, saying:

"You wanna do what you wanna do, when you wanna do it, how you wanna do while you got your hand out for somebody else's money, and then when you get called on it, we're the peons, we're the puppets.

"So before you excoriated us, now you're pitying us because what you wanna do is highlight the puppet masters who you are worth billions to. You're not worth billions, bro, millions? Yes, billions? No, that's delusional."

Irving was remarkable in his limited regular season action, leaving no doubt that he is one of the most talented point guards in the league. However, if he wants to win over the fans, Kyrie Irving will have to show a little more accountability.

He has expressed his desire to stay with the Nets and the upcoming season will be his chance to make amends. If he is at his best and other things fall into place, the Nets will certainly be one of the teams to watch out for.