Stephen A. Smith is one fierce man when it comes to speaking his mind. Take, for example, the Russell Westbrook and PJ Washington incident in Game 3 between the Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers. His takes did bring a lot of heat upon him from the basketball community, forcing an explanation out of Smith. In this to and fro, however, Smith’s reasoning did not sit well with ex-NBA stars like Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.

Appearing on an episode of All the Smoke Unplugged, Barnes and Jackson lashed out at Stephen A. Smith. And now the 56-year-old journalist has made up his mind to counter everything said so far. “Evidently my attention was wanted today — by these brothers and a host of others from my community. I’ve been quiet for a few days. Not anymore. I’ve had enough. See y’all on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on YouTube. Tonight! I tried to be cool. I really did!” Smith posted on X.

Notably, Stephen Jackson called out Smith for contacting the NBA office regarding Westbrook’s suspension, when he doesn’t even work there. “He a snitch… You called the league and told it. Nah, f*ck that, man… I’m not fucking with him no more,” said Jackson. And although Matt Barnes went softer, he too expressed his disappointment.

He stated Smith’s actions have hurt his heart, especially after all that Westbrook has faced from the media. “He’s (Russell Westbrook) out there and playing his role on that team… He went from superstar to now… the dirty guy… So for him (Stephen A. Smith) to kind of go over there and do that and make that call, that sh*t just didn’t sit well,” Barnes said. Now, it seems Smith has more to add to this Westbrook saga with his show’s upcoming episode. 

Chain of events in the Russell Westbrook incident

What started with the exchange of words after Westbrook’s foul on Luka Doncic in Game 3 escalated to the Clippers star shoving the Mavs guard. Subsequently, PJ Washington came in for his teammates’ defense. After things got physical, both faced ejection (the two already had technical fouls.) While most of the NBA community initially criticized Russell Westbrook, Smith may have, perhaps, taken it a tad too far.

As per what Smith told the cast of NBA Countdown of Tipoff, he believed Russell Westbrook deserved to be suspended for Game 3. “I felt so serious about this fellas, I called the league office and I said ‘I need an explanation. Tell me why Russell Westbrook wasn’t suspended'”.

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He also reiterated that in usual circumstances, the league would have gone for a suspension. “They explained & I get it. For those tripping that I called the league, it’s my damn job,” read one of his posts. It further mentioned that the journalists who cover the league call the league office all the time. Be that as it may, Smith would not have imagined that his decision to ring the office would turn into a row.