As if there wasn’t enough navel-gazing in today’s NBA media climate, Friday’s discourse set a new standard for a lack of self-awareness thanks to Stephen A. Smith’s diatribe aimed at LeBron James.
It all started when James slammed the NBA media for its negativity, questioning why Anthony Edwards or any other player would want to become the face of the league when they face so much criticism on a regular basis.
Smith responded at the top of First Take. And as he was joined by Brian Windhorst and Gilbert Arenas, they couldn’t get a word in for the first five minutes of the program as Stephen A. aired a variety of grievances at James and the current NBA generation.
The entire segment took about 20 minutes with Smith criticizing James and his peers for bringing the negativity upon themselves and not doing enough to engage the media or fans, load management, and other issues. Arenas spoke as a former All-Star about the impossible task of living up to Michael Jordan’s legacy. And for his part, Windhorst echoed his comments from Get Up earlier in the morning when he said the media coverage of the NBA was “out of balance” and we don’t appreciate the greatness of today’s players enough.
Later in the program, Chiney Ogwumike joined the show and stoked the fire even more, questioning why Steph Curry’s scintillating 56 point performance in Orlando was taking a backseat to this LeBron James conversation.
But again, Smith responded in making it all about himself, criticizing players for not wanting to appear on First Take because of past criticism.
And therein lies the problem.
This is the ultimate example of missing the forest for the trees.
Stephen A. Smith proved the exact point LeBron James and other NBA players have been making about the NBA media being too negative towards them. Instead of ignoring James’ comments or moving on, Smith played up the theatrics and saw an opportunity to make it into the headlines himself. So all of a sudden, the NBA story of the day is not Steph Curry, it’s not the Lakers continuing their hot streak, it’s LeBron vs Stephen A. It’s the sensitive NBA players whining once again. And it’s a continued downward spiral into the abyss.
Isn’t this exactly what LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and so many others talk about?
Put it this way, aside from SAS’s trolling of the Dallas Cowboys that’s done for clicks and ratings, could you imagine any conversation like this taking place during the NFL season? Could you imagine First Take spending the Monday after an NFL Sunday talking about Lamar Jackson being too sensitive in the media, or this generation of players not living up to past icons, or making themselves the story? Could you imagine Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe arguing about Patrick Mahomes denying an invite to First Take because of past comments. If Chris Canty dissing Joe Burrow with his wild takes was the lead story every week of the NFL season, it probably wouldn’t be very much fun to follow the NFL now, would it?
No, instead what ESPN and all the other networks do is actually talk about NFL games! They break them down, they analyze them, they talk about who should win awards, who’s on top of the power rankings, and what teams are best positioning themselves for the postseason. The daily conversation is always built around what happens on the field. Yes, there’s still a lot of fluff and nonsense that comes with it and way too much focus on the Cowboys, but at least the actual games are covered. So why can’t the NBA be given that same luxury?
Sure, the NBA isn’t perfect. The players aren’t perfect. And the decisions the league makes aren’t perfect. But if you actually watch the games you’ll actually see a great product with plenty of young stars and some incredible basketball being played. But with this constant discourse around MJ vs LeBron, the next face of the league, and the likes of Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal always picking a fight with someone good luck actually getting anyone to notice.
It’s reminiscent of the debate that marred Caitlin Clark’s first season in the WNBA, when analysts went on ESPN airwaves and begged personalities like Stephen A. Smith to actually talk about what was happening from a basketball perspective instead of getting swooped up in off-the-court drama or how it was being used as a pawn in culture wars.
So while SAS loses his mind over how disappointed he is with today’s NBA superstars, he doesn’t even realize that he is doing the exact same thing that finds them so disenchanted with the negative media climate they are forced to confront. When Brian Windhorst says that NBA coverage is out of balance and too focused on off-court dynamics and negativity, how is First Take spending most of their show talking about LeBron’s postgame comments doing anything but proving him right?
Let’s be honest, who is really the sensitive one here? If Stephen A. is this easily triggered by a comment from LeBron in the Lakers locker room, does he really think he’s ready for a presidential campaign?
First Take could have easily not taken the bait and led their show with Steph Curry, tonight’s five star Celtics-Cavs matchup, or 100 other engaging, interesting, entertaining basketball topics. Instead, they took a huge bite out of the lowest hanging fruit once again, showing no signs of ending this vicious, exhausting cycle.