Stephen A. Smith has built a reputation for his fiery commentary and willingness to push boundaries. But at times, his incursions could be all too personal. Kyrie Irving experienced this when he went on ‘First Take’ after his move to the Celtics from the Cavaliers in 2021. He was pestered with questions about his situation in Cleveland, his relationship with his old teammate LeBron James, and their apparent falling out. This made for an awkward moment as Irving kept reiterating that the decision was about what was best for him. This incident was part of a broader pattern of tension between Smith and Irving, with the analyst previously publicly criticizing Irving’s behavior, suggesting that the player should retire if he was not committed to playing basketball. It underscored how Smith’s penchant for pushing boundaries can sometimes spark uncomfortable moments.

Most recently, Smith also found himself immersed in controversy with LeBron James after his comments about the NBA legend’s son. While Smith brushed aside the controversy, he was at the center of another strange detour on ESPN on Friday.

Following the Lakers’ humbling at the hands of Minnesota, Stephen A. Smith dissected what went wrong for LeBron James and Co. Earlier, following their end to the season, Lakers HC JJ Redick talked about the need for this team to get into “championship shape.” “The work that is required in an off-season to be in championship shape, and we have a ways to go as a roster. Certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape, there’s certainly other ones that could’ve been in better shape. That’s where my mind goes immediately,” Redick said.

While Smith discussed this with the panel, he brought his attention to fellow host Kendrick Perkins and had a deeply personal question for the former Cavaliers man. Smith asked him: “Just forgive my curiosity, would you mind informing us of what your body fat was when you came back a month later?” However, this was a line that he shouldn’t have crossed, at least in Bob Myers’s eyes.

He quickly interjected the conversation and said, “Don’t do that, don’t do that. That’s over the line,” before telling Perkins, “You don’t have to answer that. ” And while the grown men in suits sparred over etiquette, Big Perk sat cool as ice. “I’m not ashamed,” he said. “I was at 26%, and when I came back, I was at 15%.” With this, the tension lifted…well, kind of. Perkins owned it, and rightly so. But the situation still didn’t amuse Myers.

Bob Myers, off his executive perch at the Warriors and relatively new to the ESPN analyst life, might be carrying that front office mindset. One where certain things are off-limits, confidential, and sacred. Meanwhile, this wasn’t the first time Stephen A. Smith sparked pushback from within ESPN for stepping over the line.

In 2021, he questioned Shohei Ohtani’s marketability on First Take, arguing that the Angels star’s lack of English fluency made it harder to grow baseball’s popularity in the U.S. “I don’t think it helps that the number one face, is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he’s saying,” he said, drawing backlash from fans and fellow ESPN colleagues.

Clinton Yates tweeted, “Speaking English is not a requirement to be a tremendous anything, never mind baseball player,” while Pablo Torre challenged the notion that Ohtani should cater to American media norms. Smith apologized twice—once on Twitter and again on First Take. In a rare reversal, the following episode saw him listening as colleagues like Jeff Passan and Joon Lee led the conversation, offering a broader perspective on language, culture, and representation in sports.

Let’s not pretend this is Stephen A.’s first rodeo. He’s pushed buttons, poked bears, and asked far wilder questions over the years. That’s his brand. He doesn’t do “softball.” He does headlines. But maybe the game is changing. Maybe the appetite for hard-nosed sports journalism is colliding with a new culture of respect, privacy, and protection.

Meanwhile, Smith believes Redick’s comments about being in shape might be a shade at Luka Doncic.

Smith believes Redick’s shade is a “reality check”

When Luka Doncic arrived in Los Angeles in a blockbuster move in February, there was only one concern: his fitness. The Mavs were reportedly done with his weight issues and wanted to move on. However, the Lakers seemed to have no such problems with Doncic until he came up against a hungry and young Wolves side.

Doncic delivered impressive numbers throughout the five-game series, but his defensive shortcomings were evident as he struggled to match the speed and agility of Minnesota’s youthful lineup. Hence, Smith minced no words when it came to analysing Redick’s words about some players needing to be in better shape.

“The fact that everybody is looking at Luka and pointing at Luka and thinking he’s talking about Luka is an indictment against Luka because it’s not the first time we’ve heard this subject associated with his name or his team. Anytime somebody brings up conditioning and they’re talking about a team that Luka is on, they’re talking about Luka. All right, that doesn’t mean he’s the only one you’re talking about, but certainly he’s your primary focus, and I think that the way to deduce this is to realize it for the reality check that it is,” Smith pointed out.

It remains to be seen how Redick goes about business to get his team in shape for the new season, and whether Luka Doncic lives up to the expectations. In the meantime, it is Stephen A. Smith’s personal question to Kendrick Perkins that may draw the headlines.