Stephen A. Smith may have been exhausted Tuesday morning on ESPN, but that didn’t keep him from enjoying an at times off-the-rails episode of First Take.
No one will question Smith’s work ethic. Between his podcast, NBA Countdown, First Take, and the various interviews he’s always taking part in, Smith’s calendar probably looks something like Chris Russo’s page of show notes. But being in New York for Tuesday morning’s First Take was admittedly a battle for Smith after working Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Boston Monday night. After watching the conclusion of the NBA Finals, Smith surmised Luka Dončić’s flaws are not unlike Andraya Carter’s willingness to kiss snakes or Molly Qerim’s affinity for food.
“It’s almost the equivalent of asking [Andraya Carter] not to kiss snakes,” Smith said regarding the need for Dončić to address his flaws. “It’s almost the equivalent of asking [Molly Qerim] not to eat during commercial breaks. You can ask Molly to do a lot of different things. Asking her to fast and not eat? That’s going to be a problem for her.”
For reference, Carter petrified Smith last week when she went on his podcast with her pet snake. Additionally, Smith can never go too many episodes without reaching for the exhausted narrative that Qerim loves to eat. It was a bizarre analogy, but in Smith’s defense, he was tired. Speaking of food, Qerim’s, “It’s not a microwave society, folks. Put that stuff in the oven,” prompted Smith to remind everyone that he runs First Take.
After Qerim and Carter praised the Celtics for trusting the process, allowing Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to grow into being NBA champions, Smith appeared befuddled.
“Why are y’all two looking at me?” Smith asked. “You’re young whippersnappers. Please. The time that I’ve put in eclipses when you were born.”
“No one’s looking at you. This isn’t about you,” Qerim pushed back with a smile. “No one’s talking about you. I’m talking to my friends at home.”
This prompted Smith to remind Qerim and all of her friends at home that “When it comes to First Take, everything’s about me.”
Well, he’s not wrong. Even a sleepy Stephen A. Smith is never too tired to remind the audience of his clout. And as if he wasn’t already tired enough, Smith fell over in his chair after being reminded that next week is the NBA Draft.
“I’m tired as hell,” Smith admitted before bemoaning the NBA Draft being next week. “I can’t wait to say goodbye to America this summer. I’m tired as hell.”
Smith later revealed that he also might be saying goodbye to America in early October, teasing being out of the country on business and prompting Monica McNutt to shush him. McNutt being coy about Smith’s business trip implies they might be traveling for something NBA-related. The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are scheduled to play two preseason games in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 4 and 6, which might be the trip Smith and McNutt were alluding to.
And that concludes our coverage of an eventful Tuesday morning First Take. Stephen A. Smith fans, enjoy him on First Take while you can. Because after next week, he’s about to take a lengthy vacation.