Stephen A. Smith & Jay Williams Get In Heated Exchange About Kyrie Irving

Source: Justin Casterline / Getty

Stephen A. Smith has had enough of Kyrie Irving’s shenanigans. ESPN First Take’s main star didn’t hold anything back, letting the Brooklyn Nets embattled all-star point guard know that his stance against COVID-19 mandates is pure idiocy. Irving has been staunch in his decision not to get vaccinated. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported a source close to the matter said Irving; ‘s stance on the matter has nothing to do with being anti-vax but instead being a “voice for the voiceless.”

On Wednesday’s episode of First Take, Smith called Irving’s logic stupid and went scorched earth on him. “This is some of the stupidest nonsense I’ve ever seen,” Smith began his rant with. “Just flat-out stupid! So let me get this straight… so you don’t have a problem with taking the vaccine? Your position is you’re going to sit up there and compromise the championship aspirations of an organization you signed on the represent, you coaxed Kevin Durant into signing on to represent, you played the role of coaxing James Harden into signing on and representing, you’re going to compromise all that because you want to give voice to the voiceless?”

Please tell us how you really feel, Stephen A.

Smith wasn’t done. Jay Williams also felt some of that same heat directed towards Irving from Smith. Williams, who is double-vaxxed and caught COVID-19 twice and lived to talk about the benefits of being vaccinated against the virus, tried to walk a fine line of not offending anti-vaxxers and people who think like Irving by calling them stupid. Williams stated he agrees that everyone should be vaccinated, but in the same breath, said when you “call people stupid,” you run the risk of ostracizing people and creating a different narrative. “I’m just telling you how it feels from people, Stephen A. When you start calling “people stupid,” or you start saying that they’re selfish, these things start going all over the internet, that creates a different narrative, and people start fighting back against that narrative,” Williams said. “I’m just telling you how it is on the other side, Stephen A. I know you have your thoughts and how you see things…” Stephen A. Smith, like a lost of people, doesn’t seem to care who he offends at this point and responded saying,” We’re talking about a basketball player who signed on to play for the Brooklyn Nets that has left his team hanging,” and accusing Williams of “full of it.”

The exchange, of course, spawned reactions from viewers and people who peep the clip on their Twitter timelines. You can see some of them in the gallery below. — Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty