Fan reactions are so wild, that the battle of the Smiths is overshadowing the NBA Cup semi-finals’ hype. Yep, Stephen A. Smith and Kenny Smith as reported earlier hit the basketball court in Las Vegas this Saturday during a segment of Inside the NBA. The outcome was so unexpected that many fans seemed to have missed a crucial detail in the contest.

Would you believe Stephen A. actually beat Kenny? Yes, that SAS, the one better known for his hot takes than his basketball skills, pulled off a 3-1 victory. But here’s the kicker—Kenny Smith wasn’t exactly playing at full strength. He decided to shoot the entire game with his left hand. And no, before you ask, the former NBA star is not a lefty.

The fact that one user had to write “Is everyone in the comments blind? Kenny is shooting with his left hand,” shows the intensity of the confusion among the fans. If you still have any left, the 2x NBA champ himself clarified it all out later during his appearance on the show.

“Every head must bow. It was too big a handicap shooting left hand. So if I do it again, I’ll use right hand. But I only use three fingers,” he said during his conversation with Damian Lillard on Inside the NBA segment.

Well, there’s hardly any doubt that the outcome would most likely have been in Kenny Smith’s favor had he played using his right hand. Especially considering he had an impressive free-throw shooting percentage of 82.9 and a three-point shooting percentage of 39.9. And it’s not as if he has lost his touch just because he has been away from the league for decades now.

The time when Kenny Smith defeated record-holding pure shooter on Inside the NBA

Anthony Miracola, a Guinness world record holder in basketball, has achieved feats that sound almost superhuman. 67 free throws in a minute and 31 three-pointers in the same amount of time. Pretty impressive, right? But even the self-proclaimed greatest pure shooter in the world isn’t immune to the occasional embarrassing moment.

About four years ago, Miracola’s confidence took a major hit when he was invited to showcase his legendary shooting skills on Inside the NBA. Things didn’t go as planned. Shot after shot clanged off the rim, some even hitting the ceiling. Watching it unfold was almost painful, especially when Miracola blamed the setup, complaining about not getting the right arc. Kenny Smith, meanwhile, cool as ever, sunk 3 out of 3 attempts like it was no big deal.

And guess which hand Kenny Smith was using to shoot. Yep, the right one. Meanwhile, Miracola walked away without making a single shot. He, however, recently claimed on Gil’s Arena that he had prepared for a free-throw contest and wasn’t ready for a three-point showdown. He also pointed fingers at the studio environment. But fans on X weren’t buying it, pointing out that Kenny Smith succeeded in the same conditions.