>The simple problem with Kenny Smith’s comments on TNT during the best moment of All-Star Saturday was they didn’t make any sense.
>What Smith said as the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry edged out the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu in a made-for-great-TV 3-point contest was distracting because of its lack of logic and timing. We watched a fun sports Picasso, and Smith could strangely only talk about the canvas not being exactly right in his eyes.
>Shooting from the farther NBA 3-point line, Curry, considered by most the greatest shooter of all time, barely beat Ionescu, 29-26.
>“She should have shot from the women’s line,” Smith said immediately after Curry’s clutch shots. “That would have been a fair contest.”
>Reggie Miller, TNT’s other analyst on the event, tried to bring the broadcast back on the rails.
>“Why are you putting those boundaries on her? She wanted to shoot from there,” Miller said.
>Smith kept going, adding, “She should have shot from the line. There is a women’s tee in golf and there is a men’s tee for a reason.”
>Everyone watching was more than ready to tap out of this conversation, but then it got extra odd with Miller adding, “According to you, you want her to be playing with dolls.”
>Smith said, “No, I want her to shoot from where you shoot from. And there is nothing wrong with playing with dolls.”
>It is not outlandish to suggest that each shooter should fire from within the guidelines of their league’s rules. But this is pregame chatter, not something in the middle of a nice moment. And Ionescu herself wanted to shoot from NBA range.
>What Smith said demeaned Ionescu’s outstanding performance. If she had just competed in the regular NBA 3-point contest Saturday night, her 26-point performance would have tied the champion Damian Lillard’s score in the final round.
>If that had happened, the immediate reaction wouldn’t be, “Should she have shot from in closer?”
>Smith and TNT’s issue the whole night was too much Statler and Waldorf and not enough celebration.
>We are all for criticism, but this was a fun event, and every moment doesn’t need to be compared as if it is up to some standard of the way past. We are all watching for the event. A broadcast is not Twitter/X, where you go to complain about everything (although Smith and Miller were dead-on concerning the legendarily bad dunk contest judges.)
>[…]
fckthisite
TNT needs to start introducing him as Kenny “The Clown” Smith
MoonHasFlown
Okay Kenny, I want you to make your hand 1/4 smaller and then go shoot as well as you would with your full hand
I think they should have Steph and Sabrina rematch at the woman’s all-star game, or have Steph use the smaller ball if it’s such a holdup for so many people. But all this aside, I think the Sabrina/Steph showdown was far and away the best part of last night. Thoroughly enjoyed that and I think it played out perfectly besides Kenny’s pretty unwarranted comments.
Confirmation__Bias
When he said she’s tired after like 8 shots… bro…
This whole event has been a fuckin embarrassment
-WaterIsGreat-
damn the athletic wrote an article…. Kenny might be cooked guys
methodeum
total wanker, unreal some people think like this and get paid for it
Ufocola
Kenny’s dumber than the average bear
ripcity_pilgrim
A saving grace of the really bad sound mixing was I could hardly hear him
KarrotMovies
He had an all time hater performance. Legit was talking like those sexist Twitter trolls under every WNBA post
Ok-Comfortable1111
Reggie was desperately trying to get Kenny to tone it down, but he wouldn’t shut the fuck up. He was awful, all night.
NoPalpitation475
Don’t let this overshadow the fact that he was lunatic the entire night, and was absolutely drunk.
How many times can a person whose job is talking on TV go, “Dame should shoot further away” before you start to think something is amiss.
Dude was wasted. I don’t expect him to admit it, but I bet he apologizes on the next TNT broadcast.
po2gdHaeKaYk
I feel like this blew up to be way bigger than intended and Kenny probably didn’t mean it in the way it is interpreted. But this is a big lesson on just how poorly we can frame certain things involving women.
Instead of framing it in a positive way: “She’s so amazing to stand toe to toe with the best shooter of all time, and even pushed herself further in her range” it is framed in a negative way “why isn’t this woman shooting where she’s supposed to shoot?” He was basically chastising her for stepping out of her lane.
You would never frame it that way for the men’s. You would accept that men want to stand up against the best.
I don’t think Kenny is necessarily misogynistic. But it should be a lesson on how poorly you can come across.
Imagine how stupid this would be at the playground if you chastised a girl for shooting at “the men’s line”.
TheDanimalHouse
Kenny still out here living in 1995
koiz_01
Time for Kenny to go home
lets_talk_basketball
I appreciate Reggie for checking him every time.
She got the same score that KAT, Dame, etc went to the finals with and the first thing Kenny sys is she should’ve shot from the WNBA line lol
sexygodzilla
They really should’ve had Ernie sit in for this contest – Reggie was trying his best with Kenny but Ernie’s got a better handle on keeping things on track and would’ve understood the importance of the moment.
wwaffles
he was a damn mess…saying she should’ve shot from the women’s line, saying that she was tired after a few shots. oy. I think people forget about how much of a clown he is because he’s so quiet compared to Shaq and Barkely when they’re on the air.
this was such a fun event, but I knew some people would be unable to be normal about it.
tooquick911
I usually like Kenny, but he was being a dick most the night especially with his comments on Sabrina. He could have commented that her score was higher than all the men in the 3 point contest whom had multiple attempts. The only one who beat her was Steph the greatest of all time. Steph vs Sabrina was the highlight in my eyes, we shouldn’t have heard way more praise instead of bickering.
Rin-S
Kenny is funny because he said she should’ve shot from the WNBA line but then if she won I can bet my life he would be the first to point out that she took her shots from closer… the same way when Reggie started calling out his bs he started spouting “Well give her an nba ball then” absolute clown just waiting for any moment to put someone down.
The fact he was hating on basically every event and player that night is something else. That old head mentality done went too far, now he’s just old.
Whohuymii
He’s an embarrassment to tnt. At this point, fire and replace him.
hex20
It was literally the only event last night worth watching, and she did not disappoint.
3LevelACDF
This is what happens when you put a B-list actor as the headline of your blockbuster movie. Smith is the little voice on the TNT show. He gets his shot as the top billing on this broadcast team and you see the results.
actual_yellow_bag
never put kenny on a live mic without the other three to dog him when he says some dumb shit.
BigMik_PL
I’m just here to say Sabrina had the largest fucking balls out of everyone at the All Star game.
To come out in front of the largest crowd she’s ever faced, after weeks of hype and knowing there are literally thousands of sexist, one of them commenting on the event, looking at every single step you take waiting for you to trip and not even be fucking fazed?
She cleared that first rack like it was nothing. I was amazed. Steph had to fucking sweat harder for this then he did in his actual 3pt contest runs and it took him last couple shots to beat her.
Everything was set against her on the night and she balled the fuck out. What a testament to her character and the player that she is.
zeebeebo
Idk which idiot complimented his sorry ass beard cause now he thinks he’s invincible and can get away with anything.
PomfAndCircvmstance
Kenny Smith being drunk and stupid aside, hopefully some people who were seeing Sabrina shoot for the first time last night check out a few of her games next season. The WNBA has become way more fun to watch over the past decade and there’s some serious talent in the league right now.
Game 4 of this past season’s Finals between the Aces and Liberty was one of the coolest and grittiest total team performances I’ve ever seen.
AtreusIsBack
I hope he finds an ounce of humility and actually apologizes next time they’re on NBA on TNT. Really unprofessional, disrespectful and actually sexist.
Theoriginaldon23
Dudes have internalized misogyny and dont even know it. Let’s be real about it
28 Comments
>The simple problem with Kenny Smith’s comments on TNT during the best moment of All-Star Saturday was they didn’t make any sense.
>What Smith said as the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry edged out the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu in a made-for-great-TV 3-point contest was distracting because of its lack of logic and timing. We watched a fun sports Picasso, and Smith could strangely only talk about the canvas not being exactly right in his eyes.
>Shooting from the farther NBA 3-point line, Curry, considered by most the greatest shooter of all time, barely beat Ionescu, 29-26.
>“She should have shot from the women’s line,” Smith said immediately after Curry’s clutch shots. “That would have been a fair contest.”
>Reggie Miller, TNT’s other analyst on the event, tried to bring the broadcast back on the rails.
>“Why are you putting those boundaries on her? She wanted to shoot from there,” Miller said.
>Smith kept going, adding, “She should have shot from the line. There is a women’s tee in golf and there is a men’s tee for a reason.”
>Everyone watching was more than ready to tap out of this conversation, but then it got extra odd with Miller adding, “According to you, you want her to be playing with dolls.”
>Smith said, “No, I want her to shoot from where you shoot from. And there is nothing wrong with playing with dolls.”
>It is not outlandish to suggest that each shooter should fire from within the guidelines of their league’s rules. But this is pregame chatter, not something in the middle of a nice moment. And Ionescu herself wanted to shoot from NBA range.
>What Smith said demeaned Ionescu’s outstanding performance. If she had just competed in the regular NBA 3-point contest Saturday night, her 26-point performance would have tied the champion Damian Lillard’s score in the final round.
>If that had happened, the immediate reaction wouldn’t be, “Should she have shot from in closer?”
>Smith and TNT’s issue the whole night was too much Statler and Waldorf and not enough celebration.
>We are all for criticism, but this was a fun event, and every moment doesn’t need to be compared as if it is up to some standard of the way past. We are all watching for the event. A broadcast is not Twitter/X, where you go to complain about everything (although Smith and Miller were dead-on concerning the legendarily bad dunk contest judges.)
>[…]
TNT needs to start introducing him as Kenny “The Clown” Smith
Okay Kenny, I want you to make your hand 1/4 smaller and then go shoot as well as you would with your full hand
I think they should have Steph and Sabrina rematch at the woman’s all-star game, or have Steph use the smaller ball if it’s such a holdup for so many people. But all this aside, I think the Sabrina/Steph showdown was far and away the best part of last night. Thoroughly enjoyed that and I think it played out perfectly besides Kenny’s pretty unwarranted comments.
When he said she’s tired after like 8 shots… bro…
This whole event has been a fuckin embarrassment
damn the athletic wrote an article…. Kenny might be cooked guys
total wanker, unreal some people think like this and get paid for it
Kenny’s dumber than the average bear
A saving grace of the really bad sound mixing was I could hardly hear him
He had an all time hater performance. Legit was talking like those sexist Twitter trolls under every WNBA post
Reggie was desperately trying to get Kenny to tone it down, but he wouldn’t shut the fuck up. He was awful, all night.
Don’t let this overshadow the fact that he was lunatic the entire night, and was absolutely drunk.
How many times can a person whose job is talking on TV go, “Dame should shoot further away” before you start to think something is amiss.
Dude was wasted. I don’t expect him to admit it, but I bet he apologizes on the next TNT broadcast.
I feel like this blew up to be way bigger than intended and Kenny probably didn’t mean it in the way it is interpreted. But this is a big lesson on just how poorly we can frame certain things involving women.
Instead of framing it in a positive way: “She’s so amazing to stand toe to toe with the best shooter of all time, and even pushed herself further in her range” it is framed in a negative way “why isn’t this woman shooting where she’s supposed to shoot?” He was basically chastising her for stepping out of her lane.
You would never frame it that way for the men’s. You would accept that men want to stand up against the best.
I don’t think Kenny is necessarily misogynistic. But it should be a lesson on how poorly you can come across.
Imagine how stupid this would be at the playground if you chastised a girl for shooting at “the men’s line”.
Kenny still out here living in 1995
Time for Kenny to go home
I appreciate Reggie for checking him every time.
She got the same score that KAT, Dame, etc went to the finals with and the first thing Kenny sys is she should’ve shot from the WNBA line lol
They really should’ve had Ernie sit in for this contest – Reggie was trying his best with Kenny but Ernie’s got a better handle on keeping things on track and would’ve understood the importance of the moment.
he was a damn mess…saying she should’ve shot from the women’s line, saying that she was tired after a few shots. oy. I think people forget about how much of a clown he is because he’s so quiet compared to Shaq and Barkely when they’re on the air.
this was such a fun event, but I knew some people would be unable to be normal about it.
I usually like Kenny, but he was being a dick most the night especially with his comments on Sabrina. He could have commented that her score was higher than all the men in the 3 point contest whom had multiple attempts. The only one who beat her was Steph the greatest of all time. Steph vs Sabrina was the highlight in my eyes, we shouldn’t have heard way more praise instead of bickering.
Kenny is funny because he said she should’ve shot from the WNBA line but then if she won I can bet my life he would be the first to point out that she took her shots from closer… the same way when Reggie started calling out his bs he started spouting “Well give her an nba ball then” absolute clown just waiting for any moment to put someone down.
The fact he was hating on basically every event and player that night is something else. That old head mentality done went too far, now he’s just old.
He’s an embarrassment to tnt. At this point, fire and replace him.
It was literally the only event last night worth watching, and she did not disappoint.
This is what happens when you put a B-list actor as the headline of your blockbuster movie. Smith is the little voice on the TNT show. He gets his shot as the top billing on this broadcast team and you see the results.
never put kenny on a live mic without the other three to dog him when he says some dumb shit.
I’m just here to say Sabrina had the largest fucking balls out of everyone at the All Star game.
To come out in front of the largest crowd she’s ever faced, after weeks of hype and knowing there are literally thousands of sexist, one of them commenting on the event, looking at every single step you take waiting for you to trip and not even be fucking fazed?
She cleared that first rack like it was nothing. I was amazed. Steph had to fucking sweat harder for this then he did in his actual 3pt contest runs and it took him last couple shots to beat her.
Everything was set against her on the night and she balled the fuck out. What a testament to her character and the player that she is.
Idk which idiot complimented his sorry ass beard cause now he thinks he’s invincible and can get away with anything.
Kenny Smith being drunk and stupid aside, hopefully some people who were seeing Sabrina shoot for the first time last night check out a few of her games next season. The WNBA has become way more fun to watch over the past decade and there’s some serious talent in the league right now.
Game 4 of this past season’s Finals between the Aces and Liberty was one of the coolest and grittiest total team performances I’ve ever seen.
I hope he finds an ounce of humility and actually apologizes next time they’re on NBA on TNT. Really unprofessional, disrespectful and actually sexist.
Dudes have internalized misogyny and dont even know it. Let’s be real about it