It seems like Stephen A. Smith isn’t having the best days. First, he had to deal with Draymond Green calling him out on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast. Then Isiah Thomas nearly torched him for his NBA-source comments on Jaylen Brown and his marketability. JB, not wasting any time, hit back at the veteran analyst on X. After quite a bit of back-and-forth, the dust seemed to have settled. That’s when Kenny Smith entered the picture.

During last night’s TNT episode, the 2x champion revealed a conversation he had with Stephen A. about Kyrie Irving behind closed doors. And yes, it was his controversial times in Brooklyn. At the time, Smith had some very strong opinions about Kai. As we all know, the 56-year-old has no qualms about speaking his mind. And Kenny’s call couldn’t have been more timely. He recounted the experience on his YouTube channel. “It wasn’t until Kenny Smith placed that call that I had to look at myself differently”.

“Because he reminded me of those numerous people that raised Kyrie, they also influenced me. And when I talked about Kyrie in the fashion that I talked about him, it wasn’t just a reflection on him. It was a reflection on them. When I looked at it that way, it gave me cause to pause.” During his TNT night, Kenny Smith said he reminded Stephen A. of six guys. The First Take analyst, for his part, gave us three names.

Rod Strickland (Godfather of Irving), Gary D. Howard (former Deputy Sports Ed at the Philadelphia Inquirer), and Reggie Howard (brother of Gary and Bronx Youth coach). Now, Gary Howard was responsible for getting Smith a college job at the Inquirer when he was a high school reporter at the New York Daily News. In addition, he was also the former executive sports editor at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, one of the only two Black men to hold that position in the country at the time. That was not all, though.

Gary was also a close friend and confidante of Drederick Irving, Kai’s father. So, these men were all part of Stephen A.’s life at some point in his growth. They were also equally involved in Irving’s. Hence, when Smith took to the social media platform to call Kyrie out, it was, in a way, like calling all these men out.

However, why exactly did Stephen A. Smith really feel the need to be harsh about Kai’s stance?

“It felt like betrayal”: Stephen A. Smith explains what made him go overboard with the Irving comments

Interestingly, it seems like Kenny and the six men Stephen A. mentioned weren’t disagreeing with his comments. Rather, it was the “fervor” with which he spoke they were concerned. On his COVID vaccination stance, Smith had called it ‘flat-out stupid‘ and when the Nets suspended Irving, he had said, “To hell with Irving”. He went as far as asking him to ‘quit basketball‘ if he didn’t like how the media was handling the controversy.

Suffice it to say that Stephen A. Smith was his chief critic at the time. Why, though? “I had looked out for Kyrie Irving on many occasions until I couldn’t,” he said. “Then I felt that his attitude towards me had changed and it felt like a betrayal! I let that go, but then when his father, I felt, came at me the wrong way, I reacted like I did. I ain’t backing up.”

Although he hasn’t divulged what altercation he had with Drederick, during an appearance on the Mike Missannelli Podcast last year, The Bronx native shared that both the son and father know what it was. He also mentioned he wasn’t ever going to talk about it, but promised it wouldn’t affect his analysis of Kyrie Irving and his game.

All we can say is that Kenny Smith’s timely call made all the difference. Irving has finally found a place he can call home. And he’s playing at the highest level. Kai is just one win away from the NBA Finals. Keep your eyes peeled for Game 5 scheduled to tip off at 8:30 PM ET at Target Center!

Before you go, another matter foremost in our mind is about our beloved Inside the NBA crew. While many are sure they are going to be disbanded, Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, thinks otherwise. To know more about his comments, watch this video.