Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
I felt that I was gonna lighten the mood a little bit. And you know, when this man asked me to come on the show, he didn't really ask. He just said, I'll be there. I'll be there, you know, because he a boss. Now that's what he does. Nephew, Josh's in the house. What's going on, man? Let me go to visit. Some people gonna call in. They send the videos in, They got some stuff to say. I don't know whether it's to me or you or whatever. It's probably to me because they don't care about you. They care about me. But let's hear what they got to say. All right, who we got.
Here, Steven?
And my question to you today, sir, is, if you could change the outcome of one game in sports history, not just for the result, but for the impact it would have on the player's legacy, what game would you choose?
And why? By the way, that's the best question they ever asked you.
Boom. Game seven, Lebron James against Goldens and the Cleveland cavil Is against Golden State. Traymond Green should have never been ejected for Game five. That was a stimulus package the NBA gave Lebron James, but give him credit because him and Kyrie Irving went ballistic in games five and six. I think both of them dropped forty won a piece in game six that was a game Steph Curry got ejected when he took his mouthpiece outland threw it. We actually filed out, but he threw it at the thai of the aim that the official, but accidentally hit a fan, the patron there. And then game seven the block by Lebron on Andrea Goodala's layup, and of course Kyrie with the side step three over Steph Curry won a championship for Cleveland. If he doesn't win that championship, there's no championship in Cleveland. Okay, that's one less championship he would have on his resume, right, And there's no conversation whatsoever, no conversation about goats and all of this other stuff. So I would say to you, I'm not that I wish cause I'm not wishing that. But I look at that game in terms of impacting legacy. You know, Magic and Bird win the finals for a decade, Jordan won six six NBA Finals, six to six. But when you talk about legacy defining, that would have been that.
I think Mon's that one right there is like, I'm cool with that with the results of that, because that was players deciding what happened the legion of Boom losing a ring because you decide to throw a pass when you're at the two yard line when you have Marshawn Lynch, Right, I don't like that.
That's a good one.
That's a good one. Galen's over there talking to me about Patrick Ewing and the next in nineteen ninety four. Yeah, it would have changed Patrick Ewing's legacy, that is true, but we still wouldn't be thinking about him that much if the new year, their Knicks fans would, but not the world, not the basketball world. That's why I didn't pick that. J Galan sit back there. Continue to lose weight. Bro, Let's go to the next video. Let's go to the next video. Show me what you got.
What's up, Steven? And so here's my question, man, Royn, would I just have to see you every everywhere, man like, involved in politics, involved in and the sports stuff, involved in everything. Man. I used to people that tried to stay out of the spotlight, like Jim Murray or any of the La Times writers before it got terrible. So I don't know. Man, You're not a journalist, You're just an influencer. And yeah, your political career is laughable. I don't know why you're trying to get involved. You seem more literate than Kamala was, so that doesn't make any sense. They need someone sharp or someone that's going to represent the people, and you seem to be just about yourself. So yeah, I guess my question is why are you everywhere and making millions of dollars? All right, thank you.
I guess my answer to the question would be a question, why the hell do you know I'm everywhere? Clearly you can't get enough of me, says you decided to send and take time out of your life. You know, just me that I won't get into the fact that you look like you got a lot of time on your hands. I wonder why I won't go that route. Instead, what I will tell you is this. First of all, I'm not an influencer. I have been a journalist. I'm a journalist that transitioned to a pundentit slash commentator. Why I have a resume my brother spanning thirty years New York Daily News, Philadelphia Enquirer, seeing NSI, Fox Sports ESPN now owning my own platform. Brother, this wasn't given, it was earned. So you can hate. You could do what you want to do, but I do this for a living. Now, clearly you have a problem with that. There's a simple solution. Don't watch. But the reason why you can't stop watching is because you know you hate it, but you like what you see and you like what I'm giving. So I appreciate the support. I'm sorry you can't admit it. Sorry, but that's when you Josh, what are your thoughts?
I think he was talking to me because I ain't got no resmes. I ain't got none of that. And I got put on and I don't mind being smoken about it, and and and then you know another thing. We owe Kevin. We owe Kevin Durant an apology. We all do. I used to get on him, you two about having burn that accounts. I got seven now so you can catch me at Britney spizz seven nine seven three seven Watch your mouths because I could be answering you familar.
With you got seven Bernu hins, Yeah, talking about I don't have no Dan Bernucin.
I know you gotta wake up and fight back.
Why.
I don't know.
I think I just think it's finally.
Let me get to the calls before I get on out of here. Let's go to the first one cause Zach and Wisconsin. Go ahead, bro, go ahead, Bro.
So my question for you is JJ McCarthy and the Vikings. And if JJ McCarthy can play, you know, just above average quarterback play with a talent around Minnesota, how far do you see them going if he's up, if he plays that way.
You know what, I think they got a chance, man, I deep Their defense is big. Tom Flores is no joke as a defensive coordinator or Condola is no jokers as as a head coach and a quarterback coach, quarterback guru. What I'm shocked by, Zach is this reliance on JJ McCarthy, Like they act like he's played in the NFL before. He was just injured or something. He was, he won a national championship at Michigan, he got injured his rookie year before he ever played the game. And yet they gonna say, you know what, uh, you know, a Sam Donald, you can leave. They're gonna say, Aaron Rodgers, you don't have to come. So JJ McCarthy is that dude. They're acting like he's produced already.
I don't get it.
Do you think it was not a smart move to not get Aaron Rodgers on the team just in case?
Maybe maybe maybe What are your thoughts, Josh, real quick, because.
That's fan over here. I don't speak on the Vikings. Good luck next.
Year works for me. Appreciate the goal, Zach, thank you. This is Ben go ahead, Ben go ahead, man.
I have only been watching basketball for about a year, seriously watching basketball, and I love it. The first game I ever saw was the Lucas seventy three point game, and that made me a Mavericks son. I'm wondering, where do you after the trade and after every the disaster these past few months have been for the Mavericks. Where do you think will be in around not five years, but like two years, like long term?
How do you think the Anthony k Well, two years ain't long term. That's number one.
Number two.
I would say this to you. Within the next two years, I think Dallas Mavericks have a shot to win a championship. I think if Kyrie, Anthony Davis, Daniel Gaffert, Derek Lively, PJ. Washington and the rest of the crew with Jason Kidd coaching them, are healthy. I think the Dallas Mavericks have a chance to win the championship. Am I wrong about that?
Josh?
Definitely wrong?
Way, ain't no way? Why not?
Daniel gafferd Derek Lively, these ain't and Kyrie in two more years?
No, No, I'm saying over the next two years, meaning next year, the year after they got a chance.
I don't think so. You guys, them being in the top teams in the West.
They can if they're all healthy, because they got That's why Anthony Anthony Davis is not.
Now.
It might have been foolish to let go Luka Doncic, but understand, Anthony Davis is good for twenty eight and twelve a night when healthy, and he's a legitimate He's a legitimate power forward at six feet ten, six feet eleven. When you look at him and gafferin and Lively. If you get stellar guard player, if Kyrie and and Anthony Davis are both available to you and everybody's healthy, the MAVs can compete with anybody.
When I'm focused, I could do anything. How open to my focus?
Yes, Griff just got in my ear talking about Kyrie's got to play an option for next year. The brother just got had surgery. They're gonna still pay him his money, but he was in live for damn near two hundred and fifty million dollars. I don't know how much he's going to get. Now. Let me go to this last caller here. Let's go to Christian from Atlanta. You're live with Steven A and nephew Josh. Christian, talk to us, all.
Right, So how do you feel about the older Shi Watston situation? And where do you see the Browns going from there? Like, how did they move on? Do they just you know, blow it all up, trade Nick Chubb and things like that and move on or should they just keep what they and hope did they find the quarterback in the.
You gotta hope you find a quarterback because you ain't blowing it up when you just paid Miles Garrett all that money. You didn't pay them all of that money to take seasons. And the fact of the matter is Toshaun Watson. It's inexplicable what's happened to him?
Bro?
I mean, that's just the mental completely contaminating your game. When you have a situation where you give this brother a guaranteed two hundred and thirty million dollar deal, every penny guaranteed, when the brother got twenty seven lawsuits at the time against them, and you give him the money anyway, and he steps on the football field and looks nothing like he looked when he was a quarterback for the Houston Texans. That's just messing with your mental Josh, I'm going to my nephew here. I can't believe how bad Deshaun Watson has looked.
Yeah, he definitely been looking bad, so bad that I'm in the movie.
Look at my neck hurt.
I need a little massage.
Really, Damn, that's pretty low. That's kind of low to do that. That was kind of low. You should be nicer than he got. You needed a massage, you know, take it easy, out take it ea.