NBA veteran Isiah Thomas jumped to Jaylen Brown’s defense in a heated exchange, following remarks made by Stephen A. Smith casting doubt on Brown’s marketability because of alleged attitude problems. It all started on a recent ‘First Take’ episode where Smith quoted an unidentified NBA insider who said that Brown’s “I-am-better-than-you” attitude makes him less marketable.

Smith’s comments about the Boston Celtics’ player irked Isiah Thomas, who shares a special relationship with the player. The former 2X NBA champion took to Twitter to defend Brown. Thomas said, “I have been a friend, mentor and advisor to @FCHWPO since he was a student at UC Berkeley he is 100 percent marketable and before you slander his name @stephenasmith tell your source to put their name on it or don’t speak on it. Let it be known.” Clearly, Isiah was not having it. His passionate defense resonated with many other fans who voiced agreement. However, Smith was quick to respond and shut down Thomas’ accusations.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about @IsiahThomas,” Smith tweeted. “I have been a fan of Jaylen Brown for years. Still am. What’s unfortunate is that YOU — who’s known me for decades — would choose to go on X to express whatever dissent you feel instead of calling me directly. But I get it. It’s a pattern several folks have used vs me recently, suddenly forgetting the communication we’ve always had. So be it. I root for JB always — a great dude and player. But the @celtics have to close the deal.” 

In Smith’s defense, the journalist merely stated what he had heard from a source. In the episode, Stephen revealed a report he had received from an NBA insider. He said, “I wanted to read to y’all what an NBA source just sent me. He said, ‘Jaylen Brown, it’s not so much that he’s underrated, it’s that he’s just not liked because of his I-am-better-than-you attitude. He knows it. It’s the same reason he is not as marketable as he should be.’ That’s what an NBA source just sent me.” He also went on to say that he did not agree, “I don’t know that to be the case, I like Jaylen Brown.” But Jaylen’s well-wishers did not take his comments lightly.

This is not the first time in the recent past that Smith has had to publicly clear up a misunderstanding. He recently got involved in another verbal altercation with his former friend Draymond Green. Take a look at what happened.

The Green-Smith Saga

On a recent episode of Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast, Draymond Green opened up about his experiences with the NBA media. He candidly expressed his feelings regarding the media’s treatment of him and how it’s had an impact on his life. The player recently got caught in a lot of controversy revolving around his on-court behavior which even led to a suspension. He specifically called out his friend, veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith, accusing him of not standing up for the player when necessary.

As he described his feelings about the situation, Green’s frustration was evident. He expressed disappointment, saying, “At not one point did you say, ‘Well, y’all are saying this person is f**ked up and this person needs help. Now, I know the person. Say what you want about the basketball player, that’s fine. But I know the person.”  He even went on to say that he had lost respect for many people.

Smith did not take the accusations lightly, he immediately responded on live television. A visibly agitated Smith declared that he had lost respect for Green as well. He defended himself against the accusations and cited examples where he had defended his friend, even during contentious moments after the player’s on-court physical altercations. Smith stated, “I love this brother. I got mad love for Draymond Green. I have an abundance of receipts where I can show you. How many times have I spoken up for Draymond? It’s been countless times.” Unfortunately, it did not end there, Smith expressed disappointment with Shaq, who did not give him the benefit of the doubt in front of Green.

Stephen A. Smith has been at the scene of crime for a lot of controversies in the recent past. He has carved out for himself, a controversial reputation. For a person in his field, this is not far from the norm. Players and journalists often find themselves on opposing sides. But at this rate, Smith might have more enemies than friends in this industry.