Joining the Lakers-Dan Hurley Conspiracy, Stephen A. Smith Risks 2 ESPN Employees’ Integrity in Rant Against LeBron James

Stephen A. Smith has joined the latest Dan Hurley conspiracy and continued his rant on LeBron James. Notably, it’s his 2nd major dig at the superstar in the last few days. Earlier, Smith ripped apart the LA Lakers‘ forward over the Kendrick Perkins controversy on social media. While he sided with his colleague in the previous rant, the veteran NBA analyst has put two of them on the firing line on this occasion, as Dan Hurley turned down a $70 million offer.

Nevertheless, the hype didn’t just die down there. It even ignited a conspiracy. Speaking of which, A. Smith said, “Some people are saying it, ‘Oh please, they didn’t want Danny Hurley. They just used that as a smokescreen to say we really, really went after this guy. But what we really want is JJ Redick. Because that’s what LeBron wants, but LeBron don’t want to be seen as the dude that’s picking the next head coach'”.

“LeBron did that. Nobody can come close to making such an accusation against LeBron if there’s never a podcast with JJ Redick,” Stephen A Smith concluded on his YouTube show. Importantly, he didn’t just take the shot at James. The 56-year-old threw two of his colleagues under the bus. Firstly, JJ Redick, an ESPN employee, has already faced severe scrutiny because he’s at the epicenter of that accusation. On the other hand, by calling it a “smokescreen”, Smith did indirectly question Adrian Wojnarowski’s integrity too.

Woj is taken into account because he was the one to break it to the NBA world about Hurley’s disinterest in the coaching job. While it raised a few eyebrows after the update, Smith ignited it into a forest fire, calling out the Lakers, James, and several others in one go.

Was Dan Hurley’s rejection a “smokescreen”?

Well, there isn’t any definitive answer to the accusation. But, one thing is clear.

It’s not only just Stephen A. Smith, but several others also have boarded the bandwagon. Skip Bayless, another LeBron James critic, also joined. Bayless found Woj’s report on Hurley’s disinterest as a bogus one. On the other hand, Stephen A. Smith also reasoned why LeBron James is accountable for the accusation. The experienced analyst further targeted the superstar’s podcast with JJ Redick as a major reason behind the accusation. He said, “Nah, nah, I won’t believe that. But then I keep being reminded about the brilliance of LeBron James and how he’s no id**t. He knows what he’s doing and then I say s**t.” 

In addition to that, he also brought Darvin Ham’s dismissal into the picture. He argued that he “can’t put it past” because he felt James had a major role in every major decision by the franchise. Pointing that out, he made his claim stronger and called out the superstar for moving the pieces under the table. Notably, the latest LA Times report stated that Redick will most likely undergo his formal interview with the Lakers this weekend. Nevertheless, anything can happen in the meantime.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, this video