Nick Wright and Stephen A. Smith looking ahead.Nick Wright and Stephen A. Smith (Photos via Youtube and Imagn Images)
FS1’s Nick Wright called out ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith as the latter’s public feud with LeBron James continues to escalate.

Stephen A. Smith was at Crypto.com Arena on March 6 for the New York Knicks’ road game against James and the Los Angeles Lakers. During a timeout, cameras caught James and Smith having a tense discussion:


The 57-year-old Smith later addressed the matter and claimed that LeBron was unhappy with comments the ESPN talent made about his son, Bronny James. Back in January, Smith suggested that Bronny was only in the NBA because of his father.

On a new episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show”, the “First Take” host made headlines when he suggested he would have fought back if the 40-year-old James turned physical in their altercation:

“Had I done something, what do y’all want me to do? You want this to be a reincarnation of Chris Rock and Will Smith? And let me state for the record that while we bring up that, let me assure you it wouldn’t have gone down like that. I would’ve gotten my [expletive] kicked. Because if that man put his hands on me, I would’ve immediately swung on him. Immediately. That I’m not gonna tolerate.”

During the latest edition of his “What’s Wright? With Nick Wright” show, the FS1 personality called out Smith for “recreating” his interaction with James. And not without a hysterical “Seinfeld” reference:

“He’s recreating in real time how the interaction should have gone. For our older audience, it’s (George) Costanza and the shrimp and the jerk store ran out of you. But in real time, in real life, against the world’s most popular athlete. That’s what’s happening! We are seeing it.


For those who are unfamiliar with the “Seinfeld” reference, there’s a season eight episode called “The Comeback” where George Costanza is teased by a co-worker for eating too much shrimp at a work meeting.

George can’t think of a comeback on the spot. Retelling the tale to his friends, George claims he told his co-worker, “Well the jerk store called; they’re running out of you.” And his friends are left unimpressed with the comeback.

So basically, Wright thinks Smith is using a similar playbook by telling people he “would have” thrown down with James if it came to that. And basically, Wright thinks Smith is exaggerating to make himself look better.

Stephen A. Smith Just Signed A $100 Million Extension

Stephen A. Smith criticized NBA players for viewing the league as a bankStephen A. Smith (Photo by Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Regardless of how one feels about Stephen A. Smith, the bottom line is that ESPN still values him as a marquee talent. Earlier this month, the polarizing sports media personality signed a multi-year extension worth $100 million, allowing him to work a reduced schedule while discussing politics on other networks.

ESPN Facing Major Scrutiny Over Their Head-Scratching Decision Following JuJu Watkins’ Devastating Injury

JuJu Watkins in pain while on courtJuJu Watkins (Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images)
USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins was left screaming in agony after appearing to suffer a serious right knee injury in the first quarter of the Trojans’ Second Round game.

With just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter of the NCAA Tournament Second Round matchup between USC and Mississippi State, Watkins was attempting to drive towards the basket on a transition play before getting fouled by Chandler Prater.

She would grab for her right knee immediately.

Her pain was captured by ESPN.

It was a moment that was already devastating and heartbreaking, and not many people appreciated ESPN’s decision to continue to show close-up footage of JuJu Watkins in pain.

“I’ll just say, I don’t appreciate how long the camera stayed on Juju when she went down. Switch angles, go to commercial, something! But don’t continue broadcasting,” one fan said.

 

“The camera zooming in on Juju crying in pain is so f–king unnecessary!! wtf ESPN!” a second fan added.

“ESPN’s choice of photo for JuJu’s injury is disgusting & blatantly insensitive. IK her girlies were worried about her in the moment, I just wish they would’ve huddled closer to her only/mainly for that reason. That weird USC treatment is the same on both coasts. I wonder why? 🤔” another fan stated.

“CAMERA PPL, STOP HOVERING OVER PLAYERS WHEN THEY ARE IN PAIN!!!!!” WNBA star Dearica Marie Hamby commented.

One final fan added: “And also replaying the injury. We got it. It’s unnecessary. It’s torturous. Not everything needs to be televised.”

Watkins is a back-to-back first-team AP All-American, finishing the regular season averaging 24.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

JuJu Watkins Has A Long Recovery Ahead of Her

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 25: JuJu Watkins #12 of the USC Trojans defends and inbounds pass by Zakiyah Franklin #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Galen Center on March 25, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
USC star JuJu Watkins suffered a torn ACL during her team’s 96-59 win over No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the second round of the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Watkins went down during the first quarter and was writhing on the floor in pain. It was so bad that she needed to be carried off the floor without putting any weight on her injured leg.

Watkins is likely to be out for nine months, which means she will miss a large part of the 2025 season.