STEPHEN A. SMITH APOLOGIZES FOR PUTTING NBA STAR IN 'BAD SPOT'
Stephen A. Smith apologized for placing Paul George in an awkward predicament.
The Los Angeles Clippers star joined Smith on ESPN's NBA Finals coverage crew. Discussing the Boston Celtics ruling out Kristaps Porzingis for Game 3, Smith mocked Kawhi Leonard when saying that "nobody on the planet knows what it's like more to play without a star than Paul George."
Although he laughed along, George later said on his podcast that he "didn’t like that moment." He felt Smith was pushing a false narrative that Leonard doesn't want to play and only laughed to avoid causing any tension on TV.
Over the weekend, Smith posted a video apologizing to George
"When you’re right, you’re right. Paul George is right," Smith said (h/t Awful Announcing). "Here’s where it really hits home: I put him in a bad spot. That’s Kawhi Leonard’s teammate, and it was the furthest thing from my mind."
Smith explained that he had just seen a report about Celtics guard Derrick White potentially making the U.S. Olympics roster if Leonard can't play. Leonard missed four of six games in the Clippers' first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The First Take pundit said he realized George had a valid point after listening to his podcast. He didn't consider how his joke about Leonard could reflect poorly on George.
"Where Paul George is absolutely right — and I do owe him an apology as a professional — that’s Kawhi Leonard’s teammate," Smith continued. "And it was the furthest thing from my mind, thinking about how Paul would look on the set with us because I’m just busy being lighthearted and having a good time while talking about the NBA Finals."
While he felt bad about making the shot to George, Smith said he "meant every word." He's not accusing Leonard of ever faking an injury, but the vocal personality believes the two-time NBA champion is "almost never available when it counts."
Related: Stephen A. Smith Names Kawhi Leonard 'Worst Superstar' In Sports
2024-06-23T18:15:44Z dg43tfdfdgfd