FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. Smith GOES CRAZY to Draymond says “peak” Warriors will swallow Shaq’s Lakers

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. Smith GOES CRAZY to Draymond says “peak” Warriors will swallow Shaq’s Lakers

even people that think you respect a like going on TV like and just feeding into the narrative I’ll tell you one person I haven’t talked to him much since Stephen A Smith really pissed me off um and the reason he pissed me off was because he hit me he’s like yo it’s been hard for a lot of us to talk about you these last few few days and you know for me I’m like okay it’s been hard for me me to watch but I’m watching it because I want to see everything that everybody have to say Stephen anytime I meet someone and they say something about you it’s never like yo I like him he cool it’s always like man that dude he a character he’s this he’s that and I always say back I actually know the guy and like the guy is actually a cool dude like I know like you could take what you want from the TV screen I actually know the guy he’s a cool dude and a real dude and then you get the opportunity to talk about man listen I know you got a job to do I know you got to do your thing and say what you got to say but at not one point did you say well y’all are saying this person is up and this person need help now I know the person say what you want about the basketball player that’s fine but I know the person and by the way it just wasn’t him to sit back and see those that claim to know and appreciate me as a human being just flow with the narrative because it was easy to do I lost a lot of respect for a lot of people all right ESS let me give some context obviously so that was Draymond Green speaking recently of course on Sha’s podcast and he was talking about reactions to his indefinite suspension which happened earlier this season essay floor is yours you know um I’m very lucky I’m very very lucky um I’m very blessed a lot of great things have happened for me in my life my career etc etc and um I’m lucky because I had the luxury of seeing this for the first time this morning had that been yesterday and I would have seen it before I taped my podcast let’s just say my delivery and my my my presentation would have been far more cic than it’s about to be Stephen A Smith show I turn that yesterday had I seen that yesterday it have been a problem because Draymond Green just went on the national podcast with Shaquille O’Neal my brother it said that he lost respect for me well I’ve now lost respect for him I love this brother I got mad love for Draymond Green I have an abundance of receipts where I can show you and Molly you can be a testament to this okay how many times have I spoken up for Draymond Green it’s been countless times this man has been ejected from games 20 times in his career only rashed Wallace another brother of mine has been suspend has been ejected for more games in his NBA career in a four Monon span I’m sorry nine months in a nine Monon span last year Draymond Green was suspended four times and when he hit nurkic it was me that was on the air you can attest to this Molly when you had people talking about anger management talking about he needs help yeah talking about all the I was the one that said yo that’s going too damn far I was the one that had a problem with Kevin Durant saying quote I hope he gets the help he needs I said that’s a brother that’s another teammate you know he’s a black man you know what that connotates how you going to say something like that and then a month later was the choke hold on Rudy go bear and at that moment in time I surise this sound that I’m going call for right now is what Draymond Green was alluding to could y’all play that please listen you know me you know how I feel about the brother I would look for any excuse that I could to defend him because I believe in him character-wise but his actions have sullied all of that there’s no way around this the reality is he seems like he is out of control and I hate that and I’m height and my level of sensitivity heightens even more so as a black man because last time they were bringing up anger management issues and that just pissed me off you understand because I don’t like giving credence to stuff like that but when one incident after another after another happens the reality is that somebody like Jay Williams comes along man you have a good point bro and I nobody nobody nobody can argue with Jay Williams at this particular moment in time with what he’s saying because he has the evidence to back it up there’s a proponent of evidence against Draymond Green now 19th ejection of his career what’s the problem with that put Molly up on the screen yeah Rudy go was first then nerkish I I get your go want make sure because you know people are gonna got mince words there right I’m saying what obviously the part that you highlighted Stephen A about the anger management and how you were sensitive to that you know being a black man and not wanting to give Credence I mean I I heard we all heard that piece right there so assuming what triggered him was you saying that he was out of control but I think you were referring to just the incidents on the court where he was continuing to get the ejections correct not just that he also told the league office he felt like he needed to get himself together that he wasn’t right I know this because as I tried to educate folks weeks ago when you had step Jackson calling me a snitch because I called up the league office about about Russell Westbrook I didn’t call them to suspend Russell Westbrook I caught because we had NBA Countdown in an hour the Clippers game was our game Russell Westbrook hadn’t been suspended and I was asked to find out what were the details behind the decision that’s my job we’re on first take we have about 12 to 15 segments a day about 775 takes a week I give over 3,000 takes a year on this show alone I’ve given over 40,000 takes throughout my career you would think I’m not g to make everybody happy with every single syllable that comes out of my mouth but I pride myself on being fair I pride myself on being a human being I know that Draymond Green has four beautiful kids I know that he has a lovely wife I know that his mom is wonderful I know that his inner circle is everything I know that about him which is why I’ve spoken up religiously for him on his behalf on many of many occasions without him asking because I know the brother personally and I believe in him I think he’s gonna be a star in this industry I think his podcast is great I think his future PA you right there actually because one thing I think I remember when we had this conversation I’m not trying to interrupt your flow here Stephen just work with me is that when we were initially having this conversation one of the things you said is that you were concerned because his future is so bright not only on the basketball court but also in media that he could be become such a superstar that this could cost him and affect him and that was one of the points that you had made initially yes and that’s one of the points that I still make and so for you to go on a podcast now now listen Draymond and I I I’ll never hate him I’ll never have anything but love for him but I don’t respect what he did you know my number you’ve spoken to me before why am I hearing about it on Shaq’s podcast it would have been nice for Shaq to follow up and say yo this Stephen A you talking about this brother always defends you it would have been nice for Shaq to do that but that’s you know he does what he does and and and and you know what he’s not a journalist like I am so I get that I understand that just like I’m not a Hall of Fame alltime great like he is I understand that I’m just simply saying the important point to point out is you know we talk about being men I’m not hard to find Draymond could have called me up Draymond could have had a conversation with me I don’t need to find that out on Shaq’s podcast when the world knows when he is wrong I did not do that you’re gonna take a sound bite you know how much stuff I’ve said positive about Draymond Green you know how many times I’ve come to the defense of Draymond Green about his character in the league office in media in The Newsroom on podcast on various interviews that I’ve done I have never ever failed to support him and all I’m saying is is that if you’re going to have a problem with me let a brother know why am I finding out because of a podcast from Shea 6 eight you know six months or whatever it was after all of this happened to be fair did you call him since you guys clearly had a relationship did you call him before you were going to speak about him what you talking about I’m saying so so you I always text a call I always text I’m making sure because if you’re saying he owed me that courtesy you know sha or him owed you that courtesy did you give him that courtesy I always call a text that’s number one number two I’m not saying I was owed it I’m saying if you have a problem with me it would be nice to find out from you that you have a problem with me which brings me to my bigger Point Molly there’s a lot of guys that played in the league and I’m watching all of these podcasts and so much of them I have respect for and I root for them or what have you but there’s a lot of damn Liars out there guys that say that they had confrontation with you and it never happened guys that say that you’ve done this or that and they don’t have any receipts to back it up and how many journalists how many pundits Molly do you know that says what I say name the time and place and I’ll show up what are you talking about it’s a lie you know how many times I I really really wish I really wish because I know a lot of things that are said behind my back I know what star players who remain Nam have done to try to get me fired from this industry to try to undermine me undercut me because I was doing my job and Reporting on the information I saw I know a lot of stuff that a lot of people don’t know and they don’t know that I know and I know who those damn Hypocrites are I’m not saying that’s Draymond because that’s not him but I know who a lot of them are and they know I know them which is why we don’t talk much because they full of it and I’ll tell them to their face but in the end what it comes down to is this when I say name the time and place and I’ll show up if you have Credence to your argument you should have no problem being in a public platform with me right there to defend myself saying what you say they don’t take me up on it because they know they full of it and I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever be on National Television at any moment in my career and believe that I would be able to to associate Draymond Green with something flagrantly inaccurate about my position on a player specifically him he is wrong I have defended Le the Draymond Green on countless occasions especially when it came to his character can’t you can’t defend the suspensions you can’t def defend the acts that you see on camera in front of the television whatever but when you try to take that and parlay that into a conversation about his character knowing the quality of a man that he is I love this brother as a brother I think he’s a great person I think he’s phenomenal and I think he’s a High character individual but this but but he looked out of control at times on the basketball court I have said that I have never said anything more than that you got my podcast you got first take you got a plethora of platforms plethora excessive yes that’s appropriate here there a plethora platforms it’s like yo I I I can’t believe that I have to deal with that ESS let me let me just say this to to summarize right because we addressed a lot Beyond and then and then we’ll get into some basketball but essentially the big takeaway I get from this is obviously you’re in a tough position right you you have to give your opinion on a lot of subjects and sometimes you have personal relationships with people that you always give people a heads up you shoot them a text you let them know they can talk to you first and after the fact if anyone has an issue that they can always find you they can always reach out to you you’re happy to sit down you’re happy to address it privately or publicly is that accurate that’s totally accurate and by the way I haven’t changed my number in 20 years I haven’t changed my number in 20 years everyone knows that and I understand that this one was a little more personal for you because of the relationship and the respect you have for Draymond and I’m sure and and and Draymond felt the exact same way so I hope you guys chop it up and squash everything but let’s talk some hoops now and our Slayer Lane Tower is under attack your tower has been destroyed tower has been destroyed win our base Tower is under attack been defeated an enemy has been defeated your tower has been destroyed your team has destroyed a tower is under attack I fear nothing an ally has been defeated keep my call nothing clears your mind like loing an arrow the wind does my b an ally has been I remember every single shot I’ve ever fired an enemy has been defeated dragon has been defeated an ally has been defeated your tower has been destroyed legendary that double kill our base Tower is under attack to the sun with this bow I fear nothing your team has destroyed a tower dragon and Slayer have the dragon caners have spawned be my call an enemy has been defeated an ally has been defeated an enemy has been defeated shut down double kill triple kill executed your team has destroyed a tower [Music] an enemy has been defeated unleash the dragon an ally has been defeated nothing clears your mind like win you have defeated an enemy an enemy has been defeated double kill triple kill one k never mind your team has destroyed a tower your team has destroyed a tower how about an enemy has been defeated it’s about my on double kill nice assisting and triple [Music] kill your team has destroyed a tower try to run away win dark Slayer has been defeated feel it coursing through my veins out run this legendary double kill an ally has been defeated triple kill one kill one shot your team team has destroyed a tower Mega kill your team has destroyed a tower executed our Slayer Lane Tower is under attack your tower has been destroyed your tower has been destroyed win our base Tower is under attack has been defeated an enemy has been defeated your tower has been destroyed your team has destroyed a tower is under attack no I fear nothing an ally has been defeated keep my call nothing clears your mind likeing in a no the wind does my an ally has been defe

FIRST TAKE | Stephen A. Smith GOES CRAZY to Draymond says “peak” Warriors will swallow Shaq’s Lakers