Stephen A. Smith was in a “mood” while on First Take. He watched his eternal rival, Jason Whitlock, on Cam Newton’s podcast. Smith was itching to address the remarks. And he promised he wasn’t going to hold back. Well, the ESPN analyst didn’t. He went after Whitlock’s throat and made sure to land the knockout blow once and for all.

Smith opened his monologue by calling out Whitlock’s attack on his close friend. The long time analyst was also tired of the mention of his basketball career. That’s his past. Stephen A. Smith was more interested in where he stands now. Mainly, how Whitlock compares to his achievements in the media business.

“I’m 58 years old in the business that you’re in and at the same time that you’re in smoking your a–.  Smoking you. Excuse my language. You can’t f—k with me J. Not even a little bit. There’s level to this and your a—is smaller than a cockroach compared to me. You’re nothing,” said Stephen A. Smith.

He didn’t stop. Smith wanted his long-standing feud with Whitlock to end in the most humiliating fashion possible. And since the latter took the first cheap shot, Stephen A. Smith didn’t hesitate either. He took jabs at his weight and said Whitlock would stoop low enough to target loved ones just for attention.

Then came the final bang.

“Everything about my life is better than yours. I’ve never said this about anybody else, and I never will. This is specifically for you. You’ve lost. I am better than you. The public says it. Everybody knows it. And if you looked so pathetic, it had me wondering he must be really, really distrait,” Smith added.

Stephen A. Smith said Whitlock’s recent remarks stem from “desperation”. It’s clear that the bad blood between these two isn’t going to end in a settlement. Smith felt Jason Whitlock’s latest comments crossed a line. So he responded with fury.

Jason Whitlock claims Stephen A. Smith is a fraud

It’s important to understand just why Stephen A. Smith was so irate about Whitlock’s comments on Cam Newton’s podcast. He’s faced his wrath before. As long as it was personal, Smith didn’t mind playing along. However, Whitlock didn’t just say Smith’s story about getting a basketball scholarship was false.

He also decided to go after one of his closest friends, Gary Stephens.

“If you go back and look at the newspaper articles, like I did, Gary Stephens was some 6’3″ guard. The Gary Stephens that Stephen A. runs around with is some 5’9″ m—-t who played basketball up in New York for some school called Old Westbury. They’re running around taking flights, and posting Instagram photos. Yeah, we’re Winston-Salem State teammates. It’s all a lie. It’s fraudulent,” said Whitlock.

That was just the tip of the iceberg. Jason Whitlock also said Smith’s career began on the grounds of fraud. He added that Smith was playing solitaire during the recent NBA Finals and that he knows nothing about sports. This wasn’t just a mild attack. Whitlock targeted Smith’s close friends, his profession, and his integrity as a journalist, going as far as calling him a “puppet”.

It warranted a loaded response, which Smith provided. And he’s also asked Whitlock to provide receipts for these claims. Judging by the saga, it’s possible that Whitlock will respond.

Whose side are you on in this situation? Let us know your views in the comments below.