Stephen A. Smith got an honest reaction from one of his colleagues at ESPN, as Charles Barkley expressed his honest take on the idea of the analyst and broadcaster running for president in the 2028 elections.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, NBA legend and ESPN analyst Charles Barkley called out colleague Stephen A. Smith for the latter’s recent statements about wanting to run for the presidency.
“Calm down, Stephen A.—and Stephen A. is one of my friends,” Barley said about the idea of Smith running for president in 2028. “C’mon, man. Stop it. C’mon. It had to start out as a joke and he started taking it seriously. C’mon, man. All I would say is ‘knock it off.’ And that’s the best way to phrase it.”
With these things said, Barkley was asked whether he would vote for Stephen A. Smith or not, a question he has a straightforward answer to.
“No,” Barkley said. “Hard no.”
Stephen A. Smith has recently made headlines by hinting at a potential run for president in 2028. While he emphasized that he is not a politician and has no desire to become one, Smith expressed frustration with the current state of politics, stating that he feels compelled to leave all doors open.

Firsttake 090922 Es04
The ESPN analyst revealed that influential figures, including elected officials and billionaires, have approached him, urging him to consider running. Smith described this as leaving him with “no choice” but to entertain the possibility, despite his reluctance to enter the political arena.
Stephen A. Smith Gets Called “Male Kamala Harris”
In one of the recent episodes of his program “Fearless,” Jason Whitlock criticized Stephen A. Smith for his recent statements of waiting to run for president, calling him a “male Kamala Harris.”
“I think Stephen A.’s making it clear, ‘I have no platform, I have no agenda, I’m going to do whatever my handlers tell me to do on every position,’ and he’s not someone with his own instincts,” Whitlock said.
“Obama believes in healthcare and changing the healthcare system, there was something he was trying to stand for and accomplish. With Stephen A., I don’t know, he’s like a male version of Kamala Harris because he’s just a reflection of the whole Democrat Party.”

Stephen A. Smith, in the past, expressed his regret in voting for Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris, even calling himself “a damn fool” for doing so. While he often expresses criticism towards both the Democratic and Republican parties, he has reiterated that he remains an “independent.”

For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.