It’s fairly obvious that there’s no love between NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith and Jaylen Brown. But after what the latter perceived as slander, the Boston Celtics star fired back against the die-hard New York Knicks fan.
Smith has no shortage when it comes to beef and the various personalities he has had quarrels with. In this case, though, his argument with Brown started over a word war the NBA analyst had with Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas over the Celtics star being seen as underrated in the league.
According to Smith’s source, Brown isn’t just underrated, but also hard to market due to his alleged I-am-better-than-you attitude. This prompted Thomas to respond on X by hitting back on Smith’s report on the matter. The former NBA champion refuted claims that Brown isn’t marketable and urged Smith to name his sources or not speak about it instead.
Smith answered back by saying that he’s a fan of Brown over the years and he would have appreciated it if Thomas spoke to him directly rather than respond in an public manner. He added that the Boston Celtics will have to close the deal, meaning they have to end their season with a championship.
Boston Celtics Star Jaylen Brown Blasts Stephen A. Smith Over His Recent Slander
While Smith and Thomas were going at it, Brown joined in and urged the NBA analyst to come out with his source. In a post the Celtics’ All-Star wing shared on his official X account:
State your source https://t.co/7ay3dXr6YN
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) May 26, 2024
For his part, Smith clapped back at the three-time All-Star in a different post he shared on his official X account.
“First off, that’s not happening. It’s journalism. Not revealing sources. Secondly, if you continue to watch the segment, I completely disagreed with them — as did Kendrick Perkins. The point we were actually discussing is how under appreciated you are and why that may be, which is why I read the quote.
I even brought up how socially conscious you are, and how that may not be liked, knowing you’re a good brother. Also, that you’re a $300M man and you deserve it. But that doesn’t mean naysayers don’t get heard. That comes with the territory,” Smith tweeted.
This season, Brown is averaging 24.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists during the playoffs. Last year, he signed a massive five-year $303 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid star in the league right now.
It remains to be seen whether Brown can silence Smith by winning a ring or the latter gets proven right about him. In any case, the beef between these two won’t end anytime soon.
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