Stephen A Smith’s source of information started a chain of reactions that’s yet to come to an end. Smith had earlier revealed that one of his sources has told him that Jaylen Brown is not a marketable player. The to-and-froing of opinions between Smith and Brown led to the point of JB appearing on SAS’s show. While the Boston Celtics star understood that Smith couldn’t reveal his source because of journalistic integrity, Gilbert Arenas had issues with this.

Gil, on his podcast, stated that journalists like Adrian Wojnarowski get their sources from somewhere “because they’ve never done it.” So he goes on to add, if a journalist reveals his source, he loses his relevance. “If someone like Woj tells you who’s giving him the information, that means he’s not f***ing important anymore. You are not important, you are a vessel for information. You are a preacher, not god.”

The response was bound to catch the attention of media outlets and Smith. And so it did. The very first thing that SAS, on the recent episode of his show, made clear was that his real issue is with media outlets using clickbait headlines like “Gilbert Arenas rips Stephen A Smith”.

He further mentioned he found nothing offensive about whatever Gilbert Arenas said on his podcast. And not only does he acknowledge but also appreciate the fact that Gil has a higher knowledge of basketball than him. But when it comes to journalism, it’s a different story. “This is my lane. When you talk about journalism, this is not open for debate. You don’t get information if you can’t use sourced material.”

Smith further stated that the entire Gil’s Arena can lament this fact, but things work a certain way. “… Get the hell over it. It doesn’t happen. You do not acquire information if everybody that you get the information from has to come on camera… And reveal who they are and give their opinions…” According to SAS, almost 9 out of 10 people will give out no information if it has to always be on record. To further prove his point, he raised a rock-solid question for the cast of Gil’s Arena.

“Y’all ain’t never talked to nobody, off the record?… You never said to a single soul, ‘yo, bro, off the record. Yo, bro, between me and you, yo, don’t quote me on this’…” The ESPN analyst argued that from locker room to front offices and politics to Hollywood, this happens almost everywhere. “I’m not saying you (Gilbert Arenas) wrong to complain about it. Just know you whistling into the wind. It took place long before Stephen A. Smith came along, and it’s gonna be here long after I’m gone. That’s a fact,” Smith added.

Coming back to his original point about Jaylen Brown, SAS highlighted that despite Brown’s MVP title, a championship and a scoring average of at least 23 points through the season from last many seasons, why is that JB is not getting lucrative offers like a sneaker deal or endorsements. A question that SAS had for Gil. Now it’s important to highlight that it’s not as if Arenas has a long-standing feud or something with Smith.

Gilbert Arenas backed Stephen A Smith on his $100 Million dollar deal demand

Speaking on his show, the ex-Warriors star didn’t hold back. “We’ve got to cheer him on to get it. After all, he’s been at the top for over 12 years now, right?” It’s clear Gil sees Smith’s payday as more than just a win for Smith. It’s a win for the entire industry.

“If he sets the market at $100 million, then it gives everyone else a chance to aim higher. It’s really about setting the bar,” Gil explained. This all comes in response to Smith’s comments about his contract situation. He was not shy about what he wanted. “I expect to get paid.” And honestly, after a decade of leading the game, who can blame him?

SAS has even hinted at going independent if ESPN doesn’t meet his terms. And Gilbert Arenas thinks ESPN would be wise to meet those demands before this happens. He knows that if Smith goes solo, he could take a big chunk of the audience with him. And a $24 billion company like ESPN probably doesn’t want to turn a veteran into a competitor.