Former Knicks and Nets star Stephon Marbury is fed up with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. The ESPN reporter has been making disparaging remarks about Nets guard Kyrie Irving all season and Marbury feels the disrespect has gone on for too long.
With his season over, Irving posted on Twitter about media corporations profiting off people like himself by sparking controversy about them for everyone to see.
Stephen A. Smith didn’t take too kindly to Irving’s tweets, choosing to focus on the fact that Irving hadn’t played the majority of the Nets’ games due to New York’s vaccine mandate but still got paid anyway.
He tweeted that Kyrie is “one of the most delusional athletes in American history” prompting Marbury to step in and call Smith “one of the biggest Uncle Tom’s on the planet.”
Marbury spoke to Bally Sports about the matter saying, “I’m starting to think Stephen A. Smith thinks he’s a star for speaking the English language loud and obnoxious on TV.”
He also added, “I truly believe he’s upset he couldn’t play ball in front of 19,000 people every night, so he reverted towards (bashing) people who look like him who have true intentions on earth to be real and authentic towards helping people.”
Smith declined to get into a war with Marbury, opting to call out the former All-Star for eating vaseline during a breakdown at the tail end of his NBA career. Marbury responded by echoing Irving’s sentiments that Smith and others in the media “break down black athletes for gain and fame.”
It remains to be seen if Smith will address Marbury’s latest comments but given his reputation he’s unlikely to be bothered by the criticism.
