Stephen A Smith refuses to back down despite facing severe backlash from Russell Westbrook and his wife

The spat between ESPN host Stephen A. Smith and Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook is not going away anytime soon. It all began with Westbrook's mind-blowing performance against the Pacers on Monday.

Westbrook created a new NBA record, registering the first triple-double in league history with 35 points, 21 assists, and 14 rebounds in 39 minutes from the floor.

Stephen A. Smith came on the show the following day and said his numbers mean "absolutely nothing" because his great stats over the years have not resulted in success in the postseason.

Russell shared his thoughts on the matter in his postgame press conference on Tuesday night. Instead of firing back at Smith directly, Westbrook responded with a lengthy response on how it is important to ignore all the noise and concentrate on finding happiness both on and off the court.

Russell Westbrook gave a 2-and-a-half minute answer in response to a question about @stephenasmith’s comments on First Take: “A championship don't change my life. I'm happy. I was a champion once I made it to the NBA. I grew up in the streets. I'm a champion.”Full quote here: pic.twitter.com/wcceIzqQlg

— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) March 31, 2021

Westbrook's wife Nina took to social media to give Smith a befitting reply to his take on Westbrook's performance in the NBA.

Russell Westbrook’s wife goes off on Stephen A Smith for his comments about Russells accomplishments pic.twitter.com/VccGR6QbI6

— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BIog) March 31, 2021

The newest NBA feud heats up as Stephen A. Smith refuses to back down from the comments he made on Russell Westbrook's career

Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards

The latest in this developing NBA feud saw Stephen A. Smith come back on his show to address the situation. He asked Russ and his wife to revisit his comments on Westbrook's track record.

Smith reiterated that Westbrook is "a sensational athlete, the most athletic point guard in the history of basketball, destined for the Hall of Fame but has come up short (of a championship)."

He further added how Russell couldn't win a chip in his time with the OKC Thunder, playing alongside Kevin Durant for all those years and how he has been bouncing around the league for the last two seasons.

My full response to Russell and Nina Westbrook. pic.twitter.com/L4Af14a5KH

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 31, 2021

Stephen A. Smith further added to his rant as he addressed Russell Westbrook directly by saying, "You have been so phenomenal with the numbers, we don't care anymore about the numbers, we know what you can do but what about the championship?"

Russell Westbrook is not having the best season this campaign and even missed out on his All-Star selection this year. That said, he has marked a significant improvement in his numbers since the All-Star break and has been closing in on his former MVP form.

In 39 games for the Wizards, Russell Westbrook is now averaging a triple-double on the season with 21.8 points to go along with 10.3 rebounds and 10.6 assists on 43% shooting from the field.