Stephen A. Smith continues to feud with NBA stars, this time escalating his spat with Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown.
After getting personal with a lengthy, “threatening” retaliation, the outspoken ESPN analyst faced fierce pushback from across the NBA world, with many calling for Smith to be reined in.
Stephen A. Smith Catches Flak for ‘Threatening’ Jaylen Brown
Smith and Brown have been engaged in a heated back-and-forth since Smith’s blunt response to the 2024 NBA champion questionably dubbing the 2025-26 season his “favorite” year of his career after Boston’s first-round playoff collapse.
The analyst told Brown that his viral Twitch comment, which seemed to hint at his desire to be a full-time No. 1 option, wasn’t a good look, then urged him to “be quiet” to avoid getting traded.
The five-time All-Star later fired back, calling for Smith to “retire” and “give the people what they want” in exchange for his silence.
Brown doubled down on his criticism of Smith on a Sunday Twitch stream, challenging the 58-year-old’s journalistic integrity.
“F**k Stephen A. Stephen A, Stephen B, Stephen C,” Brown slammed Smith. “My offer still stands. You want me to be quiet and stop streaming. Well, I want you to be quiet and get off these networks because you’re not using your platform to do real journalism.”
Rather than being the bigger man, in typical fashion, Smith added fuel to the fire on Monday’s edition of “First Take,” threatening to reveal the NBA community’s true feelings for Brown.
“But in the end, Jaylen Brown, be careful what you wish for,” Smith began. “You really want me to start reporting on that level? You understand? Locker room, how the organization might think about you, how the city may feel about you, how Jayson Tatum may or may not feel about you, sneaker deals, endorsement deals, the list goes on and on.
“The season is over, bro. You’re on Twitch trying to do what I do, and talking about me needing to step away. It makes no sense. … When you’re talking about clickbait and all of that stuff, somebody told you one of the best ways to get it is to bring up my name, and that’s what you did. So, who’s really looking for clickbait? Is it me or is it you?”
Stephen A. Smith just warned Jaylen Brown, claiming he knows things about him that would hurt his feelings:
“Jaylen Brown be careful what you wish for. You really want me to start reporting on that level? You understand? Locker room, how the organization might think about you,… https://t.co/iBK7egHBqc pic.twitter.com/Fo0Dv4Qbvy
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) May 18, 2026
Contrary to Smith’s implication, the NBA world was overwhelmingly on Brown’s side, with many taking exception to the former’s mob-like disposition.
“This clown a** mob boss cosplay has to be put in check at some point, man,” NBA content creator Dom2K blasted Smith.
This clown ass mob boss cosplay has to be put in check at some point man https://t.co/prQxYIrcoQ
— Dom2K (@Dom_2k) May 18, 2026
“Why is he threatening him? This is sports, not the mob,” one X user questioned.
why is he threatening him? this is sports, not the mob. https://t.co/CviIfDu46J
— alexis (@Alexisfromvegas) May 18, 2026
“Time and time again, we let the figurehead of sports media go onto national television and reveal unprofessional, personal feelings on players that he’s supposed to be covering without a bias,” another pointed out.
time and time again, we let the figure head of sports media go onto national television and reveal unprofessional, personal feelings on players that he’s supposed to be covering without a bias https://t.co/zb7eiowm3J
— coopz (@Coopz___) May 18, 2026
“Nothing screams journalistic integrity more than saying that you could be reporting on something but are choosing not to unless you have some sort of vindictive reason to do so,” CLNS Media Boston Sports Network’s John Zannis quipped.
Nothing screams journalistic integrity more than saying that you could be reporting on something but are choosing not to unless you have some sort of vindictive reason to do so. https://t.co/dEAYRCkKjI
— John Zannis (@John_Zannis) May 18, 2026
Meanwhile, others began wondering aloud why ESPN allows Smith to carry on with his divisive rhetoric with impunity.
“Earnestly, genuinely: this is bad for the game. Other sports don’t have talking heads on television being a regular embarrassment like this. If ESPN won’t step in, you’d think at a certain point the league would tire of seeing this from its broadcast partner,” The Guardian’s Claire de Lune asserted.
earnestly, genuinely: this is bad for the game. other sports don’t have talking heads on television being a regular embarrassment like this. if espn won’t step in, you’d think at a certain point the league would tire of seeing this from its broadcast partner https://t.co/9YYdMzS5CI
— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) May 18, 2026
“It’s officially time to get him off the air, he’s such a clown,” prominent sports fan @HanaHoops contended.
It’s officially time to get him off the air he’s such a clown. https://t.co/3X4TR82sQ8
— Hana 🧡 (@HanaHoops) May 18, 2026
Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy, a die-hard Boston sports fan, added that despite the unfortunate end to the Celtics’ season, fans are still grateful for Brown’s contributions to the franchise.
“JB won a title. City loves him,” Portnoy wrote.
JB won a title. City loves him. https://t.co/w5bnXIT5EE
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 18, 2026
Regardless, unless forced to do so, Smith likely won’t let his beef with Brown die down anytime soon, as has been the case with his long-running feud with LeBron James.
