Stephen A. Smith has been the co-host of First Take on ESPN for nearly a decade, during which time fans of the show have become quite familiar with some of the famed on-air personality's biggest pet peeves, such as professional athletes who continuously get fined for smoking weed while under contract, Colin Kaepernick's feud with the NFL and Kyrie Irving's proclivity for missing regular season NBA games based on some of his questionable off-court decisions. However, on a segment during Monday's episode of First Take, one of ESPN's highest-paid broadcasters received vehement pushback regarding his viewpoints on Kyrie Irving from his on-air colleague, Jay Williams.
The topic of debate was how the public should perceive Kyrie Irving in light of forcing his way out of Brooklyn following a tumultuous four-year stint with the Nets. Although Kyrie is an NBA Champion (2016) and an 8-time All-Star, he appears to have burned bridges with every team he has ever played for (Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets). So, the day after Kyrie was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and two future draft picks, Stephen A. Smith had a mouthful to say about yet another controversial exit from the star point guard. However, Jay Williams, a former NBA point guard himself, took exception to the hot take before underlining the hosts' constant criticism.
During the aforementioned discussion, Jay indicated that Stephen A. Smith's commentary was personal and that Kyrie was somehow an emotional trigger for him.
In the past, Jay Williams revealed that he had received death threats for defending Kyrie publically. It's also important to note that Jay Williams and Kyrie Irving both played college basketball for Coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University. So, they do have strong ties with one another. Scroll up to watch the argument between him and Stephen A. Smith.
Source: Twitter
