The New York Knicks had won seven straight before dropping one to the Charlotte Hornets. Off the court, though, Josh Hart took a shot at Stephen A. Smith for his views on Mikal Bridges, and Smith made sure that did not go unanswered.
Why Josh Hart Called Stephen A. Smith a Part-Time Knicks Fan
Per Newsday’s Steve Popper, Hart said this before the game against the Charlotte Hornets:
“For me, I think Stephen A., as a part-time Knicks fan, needs to shut the hell up. He barely knows guys that are on the team.”
Hart was responding to Smith’s recent “First Take” segment, where he went hard at Mikal Bridges over his production, pointing to the draft picks the Knicks gave up to acquire him. Hart had publicly defended Bridges, saying he was doing what the coaching staff asked of him.
But his statement did not sit well with Smith.
Smith Fires Back at Hart’s Comments
Smith acknowledged that his television success has kept him in the studio more, meaning he no longer knows players the way he once did. But his point was that the same applies to nearly every analyst and pundit covering sports anywhere in the world.
Then he got personal. “First of all, you don’t know who I know. Secondly, you don’t know who talks to me. Thirdly, you don’t even know how close I am to the people that cut your checks, Josh Hart. Clearly, you haven’t done your homework,” Smith said, via NBA Courtside.
Smith also made clear he likes both Hart and Bridges and thinks Bridges deserved every dollar of his $150 million deal. His frustration is about the draft picks it took to get him, assets he believes could have pushed the Knicks closer to a real title run alongside Jalen Brunson.
From there, Smith made it about history. He is 27 years older than Hart and has been a Knicks fan since before Hart was even born.
“You know how I know what I’m talking about, Josh Hart? Because you are 31 years of age. I’m 27 years older than you. And I’ve been a Knicks fan since I was three.”
Stephen A. Smith on Josh Hart comments telling him to shut the hell up that he’s a part-time Knicks fan:
“I just love how people ignore the resume. Let me say this about myself. So I spent 20 years covering the NBA and I’m on the road and in locker rooms for over 100 games a… pic.twitter.com/a1uMFbUdei
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 27, 2026
He then went through every franchise Hart suited up for before landing in New York, making one thing very clear each time.
“Weren’t you a member of the Los Angeles Lakers? I was a Knicks fan then. Weren’t you a member of the New Orleans Pelicans? I was a Knicks fan then. Weren’t you a member of the Portland Trail Blazers? I was a Knicks fan then.”
And he closed it with this: “And when you’re long gone from being a New York Knick, I’ll still be a Knicks fan. I’m not satisfied because the New York Knicks haven’t won a championship since 1973. We haven’t been to the finals since you were three years old, four years old.”
The Knicks are 48-26, third in the East, and the playoffs are right around the corner.
Smith has been riding with this franchise longer than Hart has been alive, and that loyalty is exactly why he refuses to settle for anything less than a championship.
