Stephen A. Smith reaches millions of Americans through his popular podcast and ESPN’s First Take, not to mention additional NBA coverage and his regular guest spots on a variety talk shows.
But for all of Smith’s success, including his reported $100 million ESPN deal, it’s safe to say Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia isn’t a fan.
‘Stephen A. Smith?’ the billionaire mortgage mogul and ex-Michigan State point guard asked reporters. ‘I don’t take him seriously, and honestly, I don’t think many do.’
Ishbia was speaking Thursday at the conclusion of what he described as an ’embarrassing season’ – a 36-46 campaign that ended with coach Mike Budenholzer’s firing earlier in the week. Now, despite a roster that includes Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, Ishbia is set to hire the team’s fourth head coach in as many years.
Smith took Ishbia to task for the state of affairs in the Salt River Valley recently, and even though the 45-year-old only bought the team in 2022, the ESPN host still painted him as a historic failure.
‘Mat Ishbia needs to understand that right now, you are on the verge of being recognized as the worst owner in the history of basketball,’ Smith said recently.
Ishbia was speaking at the conclusion of what he described as an ’embarrassing season’
Ishbia claims nobody cares about what Smith says, but ESPN plans to pay him $100m to say it
That comment effectively puts Ishbia in a category with Donald Sterling, who was famously forced to sell the Los Angeles Clippers after being recorded making racist statements, and Robert Sarver, whose own scandals led him to sell the Suns to Ishbia.
On Thursday, Ishbia brought up Smith’s past criticism of current league stars before pivoting back to his own roiling feud with the sports pundit.
‘The things he said about Kevin Durant, just wrong and disrespectful,’ Ishbia said. ‘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 league].’
Naturally, Smith isn’t going to let this controversy go to waste, so the television and podcast host is already planning his retort on his own platforms.
‘I look forward to responding to this on @FirstTake tomorrow morning,’ Smith wrote to his 6 million X followers. ‘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!’
