Controversies and Stephen A. Smith go hand in hand, and his worst fear comes from the NBA players in particular. Be it his feud with LeBron James for targeting Bronny, or his recent equation with Warriors star Draymond Green. In his own words, The ESPN analyst who just signed a $100 million deal, recently revealed Warriors’ Draymond Green has stopped talking to him altogether. But why is this a worry? Because they maintain a good relationship, of course, according to Smith. But with the Akron Hammer being a close friend to Green, his ‘personal’ comments didn’t seem to have settled well with the four-time champion. But the damage is much worse as the choice of words goes rough.

Green revealed he would reserve his thoughts for his podcast. And he had a lot to say. The Warriors defensive pillar didn’t appreciate Smith calling James “weak” on Gil’s Arena. Moreover, rather than expecting a call, Green felt it should have been he who contacted the Lakers star privately to solve the matter. But since he didn’t, the 35-year-old decided to send a message of his own to Smith.

“Bob was up here that day and Bob was like, oh yeah, I work with Stephen A tomorrow. I mean, I got y’all getting in the night. I’m in the studio tomorrow, so I’m with Stephen A. and I think Malika. And I was like, oh, you make sure you tell Stephen A that I have zero respect for what he said yesterday,” Draymond Green revealed on his podcast.

As most have argued, Green wouldn’t mind Stephen A. Smith tearing into Bronny James as an NBA player. But speaking about King James’ qualities as a father even when his son is in the NBA made it hard for Green to digest. “You are on national TV, condemning a black man as a father because his son is playing in the NBA. Like, how does that even make sense?” he questioned on The Draymond Green Show.

With how things have gone, it’s hard to see if the Draymond Green and Smith bond ever recovers. They have worked on ESPN shows in the past. But after his public comments about not respecting the analyst, there may not be another instance of the same.

Stephen A. Smith is open to talking

Stephen A. Smith has spoken about the LeBron James incident repeatedly since it happened after the Lakers’ win against the Knicks. Each time, his tone and openness may have varied. However, as far as his opinion, that hasn’t changed. Smith believes he didn’t drag Bronny James into the conversation. Any takers?

His stick is purely with James and how some of his actions may have hurt his son. In response to Green’s prior criticism, that’s the exact message the 57-year-old relayed once again.

“I said what I said about Bronny because it’s my job to analyze what’s in front of me. LeBron’s a father, I get it—I’m a father too. But when you put your son in the public eye, when you say things like he’s better than NBA players as a high schooler, that invites scrutiny. I wasn’t attacking Bronny’s character or his potential,” Smith said on First Take.

In addition, he also addressed his fractured dynamic with Draymond Green. Similar to his response to LeBron James, Smith opened the doors to mend his relationship with Green by stating his phone was always open for a conversation. “If Draymond wants to take that personally, that’s on him. I’ve never ducked a conversation. My number’s out there—LeBron didn’t call, Draymond didn’t call. I’m not the one hiding behind a podcast or a camera. I’m right here every day,” he said. But it’s difficult to presume where this goes from here.

The James tension will probably calm down soon. But as far as Smith’s connections with NBA players, a few big names could withdraw themselves too. Or it could remain intact. It hinges on how the controversy shapes from here on out.