Damn ain't nothing but chaos been going on this weekend courtesy of one executive order after another from the President of the United States, alienating one half of the country galvanizing the other. We've got to get into that. Plus, I got the great Kenya Burris in the house. He's got a lot to say. Drew Ski's in the house, He's got a lot to say. And of course I got to speak on Lebron James. Certain things in life are very, very very difficult to say, especially about a
superstar of his magnitude. But it's necessary. It's nothing personal, it's just necessary. The stephen Ate Smith Show in the house. But first, a word from a boys at Prospects on the Big Game. Okay, everybody, I need you to listen up. The teams have been decided for the Big Game in a couple of weeks, and with smack dab in the middle of the NBA season. So with all this action going on, the stephen Ate Smith Show wants to make
sure you take it advantage of it all. That's why we've partnered with Prize Picks, the best place to get real money action while watching your favorite sports. You see with Prize Picks you pick two or more of your favorite players, and then you simply select them more or less or the projected stats for the game. Pick Patrick mahomes passing yards, AJ Brown's receiving yards or de Montes Sabonis's rebounds, all in the same entry and get this for the Big Game. Prize Pects has the Patrick Mahomes
free pick. That's right, all Patrick Mahomes needs is just one passing yard for you to cash in, so make sure you don't miss out. All you have to do is download the app today and use the code essays to get fifty dollars instantly after you play your first five dollar lineup. Again, download the app and use code essay yes to get fifty dollars instantly after your first five dollars lineup. Prize Pects run your game. Now, let's
look at my picks for today. I'll be making picks for the Big Game, the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Philadelphia Eagles. First up, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes more or less than zero point five passing yards. Of course, I'm going to say more. Damn it. I already told you. Why listen up. Next up, we've got the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts more or less two hundred and twelve and a half passing yards. I'm gonna go with more
on this one. AJ Brown's gonna have to have a big game in order for them to win the championship. You know, listen, Vontae Smith, he's gonna have to do something. Dallas God Is gonna have to do something. Sain Kwon Barkley not just as a runner but a pass catcher. They gonna need everything in order for the Eagles to beat the Chiefs, And in order to that to happen, everybody's gotta be all hands on deck, and Jalen Hurts has to be the ring leader. He has to be
feeding everybody the ball. It's gonna be for more than two hundred and twelve yards. I can promise you that. Next up, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelsey more or less
than sixty three and a half receiving yards. I'm gonna go with more on this too, because I think the Eagles, with the defense being as elite as it is, with Vic Fangio leading these troops, their secondary having buffered up, You're gonna have pass rushers like Carter and those boys getting that Patrick Mahomes, he's gonna need to get rid of the ball a little bit quicker. Who better to do that with than getting the ball to Travis Kelsey,
mister reliable. That's what he's going to do. Impossibly, Travis Kelsey's last game. I think he's gonna show out a little bit personally. That's just what I think. Finally, the Eagles wide receiver Aj Brown more or less than seventy and a half receiving yards. I'm going with more on this as well. Like I just told you, like I just finished explaining, Taylor Hurts got to swing that ball around. He's got to get everybody involved. It's all hands on debt.
They all gonna have to do it. We're gonna go with more on this one, too, More and more, more and more. It's a given, we understand. That's how it goes with prospects. Who wins you money? What's up, everybody? Welcome to this latest edition of The Stephen AI. Smith Show, coming at you over the digital airways of YouTube and of course iHeartRadio as I love to do at the very least three times a week. Thanks again to my
subscribers and followers. As always. We've now eclipsed to one point zero seven million subscribers on YouTube, and we've had millions of downloads over the last few months on iHeartRadio. Can't thank y'all enough for the love and support. Keep it coming, and I'm gonna keep on coming. To continue to like and follow the show, just click the bell and get notified for all of our newest content, and you too shall be the latest member of the Steven A.
Smith Show family. And remember while you're doing that, to pick up a copy of my New York Times best selling book, Straight Shooter, a memoir of second Chances and First Takes now and paperback. Just go to straight shoot to book dot com and get yourself a copy. Once again, that straight Shoot to book dot com to get yourself a copy. Let's get started with President Trump and his
efforts to freeze federal funding. Trump's mission to cut government spending became very clear this week when a White House offered a buyout to roughly two million federal workers and an order to freeze aid. The abrupt stoppage on federal grants and loans announced one they created confusion throughout the government. So yesterday the Office of Management and Budget omg B, I'm sorry, sent a memo clarifying that programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, head Start, and pelgrants would not be part
of the pause. But today the White House rescinded the federal aid freeze after the administration received a flood of calls from lawmakers and state officials with questions on how it would impact their home states. Here's part of the statement from the Office of Management and Budget. Quote OMB Memorandum M twenty five thirteen is rescented. If you have questions about implementing the President's executive orders, please contact your
agency general counsel end quote. If the freeze had not been rescinded, it would have essentially set up a long brewing legal battle over the core constitutional principle that says Congress gets to decide how to spend tax payer money. Legally, these arguments would eventually have made their way up to the Supreme Court, where some legal experts believe Trump could
be in for an uphill battle. Meanwhile, a federal judge had temporarily blocked part of the administration's plans to freeze the federal aid Ladies and gentlemen, let's get one thing straight. All of us should have a heightened level of sensitivity for the disoline and the disenfranchised amongst us. If you are poor and impoverished, or you are old, we need to be looking out for folk. For those folks. First,
people got to eat. They gotta survive, got to have a roof over their head, gotta have clothes on their back, food on their table. Some heat can't freeze the death at certain parts of this country, particularly how vicious these winters have been. And if you're old and you put in your time, and you paid your taxes, and you got social Security and stuff out there, and that's not enough to live on, we got to help them too.
So nobody's advocating for anything otherwise. When the Trump administration spoke up and they clarified that Medicaid and Medicare and Social Security wasn't being compromised and stuff like that, I believe them. Having said all of that. How they've looked over the last few days. Dare I say the word inept might apply. They look a bit confused at the very very least. I mean, you have situations where other Republicans have to step in and say, wait a minute,
this is a bit chaotic. This is not the way to go. It would take a lot in order to continue to move with fluidity and not disrupt our entire apparatus when it comes to federal funding as it pertains to Medicare and Social Security and things of that nature. So that's something that's going to be a blemish on Trump's resume, no question about it, because he's going to come across with somebody who doesn't know what the hell
he's doing. That's what they're going to say. How true that is, we don't know, but it's clearly something that the left is going to say. Here's what I like about it. What I like about it is that go ahead, Democrats attack that all day. Finally you're attacking something substantive
fun because that makes sense. That absolutely makes sense. If he would to go along with his federal freeze and that disrupted so many American lives, that would have been problematic when you speak up on those issues, those are the Democrats that we remember, Those are the Democrats we voted for. Those are the Democrats we can support. That's
what you do. We got a whole bunch of stuff going on here, and we got to understand something Trump deserves heat for this, for how discombobulated and somewhat disorganized that disappeared to be. But he doesn't deserve it about everything. I'm just looking at some of the decisions that he has made and some of the things that he has taken heat for. If you have illegal immigrants in the country, the more you have, the more some have to be taken care of, and how you're gonna take care of
them through tax bare dollars. And when you're complaining about being able to help the desolate and the disenfranchised amongst us, how can you justify supporting folks who aren't American citizens ahead of those who are. You can't do it. That's the argument for the right. Why do you think he's able to get away with America First during his first term? Why do you think he's able to get away with slogans like make America great again? Because once upon a
time the belief was it was America First. When he threatened Columbia with tariffs when they weren't willing to take a military plane with immigrants on it being returned to Columbia and he had to get on the phone with mister Petro, they had a Columbia. What do you think happened there? He threatened to smack five percent tariffs on them, threatened to elevate it to fifty percent. Why do you think he did that? Why you think the president changed his mind for Columbia? Why do you think he changed
his mind? Because what Trump said is we being pinched. It's time y'all get pinched too. What do you think he's talking about when he's talking to Canada. What do you think he's talking about. When he's talking about Mexico. What do you think he's talking about. When he's talking about China, He's saying, we getting holes, we're getting pinched, we're suffering. Why should you live pretty? So you're not gonna get folks to disagree with him on everything because
the left took it to a different place. When you're talking about identity politics, when you're talking about well culture, when you're talking about transgender what do you think is gonna happen? Then any issues that affect the everyday lives
in the pocketbooks of the average American. But if you let twelve to fourteen million immigrants cross the border illegally and you're giving out fifty three million dollar prepaid credit cards in the city of New York and you're spending billions of dollars as a state like California, what do you think people are gonna complain about? Because they're gonna look at it as a direct assault on their wallet, which is a direct assault on their livelihood and their
quality of life. And they're gonna say, wait a minute, what's going on? What does that have to do with the conversation. It's Trump? What is he doing offering buyouts to two million federal players? Everybody?
Oh?
Whoa, whoa, Wait a minute. Yeah, that might be excessive, it might be too much, But guess what the idea? Ain't that damn bad? Why? Because he's already telling you we're downsides in his government. Y'all gonna lose some jobs now. The overhead is too steep. We gotta downside, so we're gonna let you go. You if you accept the buyout, you'll probably get about eight months pay. That's what he's saying.
That's what he's saying, and you best believe. Let me be very clear, some of them better take it because they're gonna get cut anyway. If I tell you, yo, Grift, what's up, yo? Gala, what's up? Charry? What's up? Is so? H ten of the isso, what's up? Bro? If I tell you, look, man, I'm gonna let you go right now, but you got eight months pay coming your way. If you don't take it, I might let you go. I might note it might be in three months, six months, or a year two years, or it might be next week.
What you gonna do.
All of a sudden, See, we gotta bring it with the goats can get it. As the late great Joe Madison would say on Urban View Radio, you gotta put it where the goats can get it. That's the analogy. That's a real life analogy. Yo, Gayala, what's up? Eight months pay? Or I can let you go at my discretion, I might. I might note. It might be soon, it might be later. I don't know, but you might be going. You see where I'm going at, ladies and gentlemen. That's
what he's talking about here. We got a whole bunch of people out here complaining about everything, complaining about the buyouts. He's clearly coming to downsize government. Why do you think DOGE exists? That Ramaswami walked away from, but that Elon Musk is still overseeing once again, is the Press Secretary for the for the Presidency, the White else. This is not a recession. There's not a recision of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a recision of the o
NB memo. Why to end any confusion created by the court's injunction, the President's eos on federal funding remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented. They're going to fire people. They're giving you advance notice. You're getting you're going to be gone now. You can take it with eight month severance, or you could take your chances. That's what he's doing. They ain't playing. So this is the way it goes. And why let's not forget it's
a product of spending. Now, don't let the Republicans off the hook. Some of them have overspent two Even Sean Hannity and Mark Levin admit that for years and years and years when we think about a thirty six trillion dollar budget that we have the Republicans' hands ain't ain't ain't clean, And all of this Trump spent, Bush spent, hw Bush spent read my lifts no new taxes, and then put it for more taxes. Reagan spent. It's not about spending, because they all spend. It's who you're gonna
spend on what you're gonna spend on. Democrats and Republicans. They're all guilty. All of their hands are filthy, and it's thirty six trillion dollar deficit that we operate under. They're gonna make changes. It's coming. That's the way that
it goes. And if you are the Democratic Party, rather than give that old song and dance with your frivolous arguments about in regards to identity politics and woke culture and immigration and even immigration transgender issues as opposed to LGBTQ overall issues, if you're gonna do all of that, that's not what people care about. When their wallets are being pinched, when eggs and milk and gas and bread and everything is expensive, they don't care. They only care
when they're comfortable. They don't care when they're suffering. Get used to it. D I. Oh, everybody's in an uproar about d I. You know what my uproar was. I don't like the fact that you're acting like everything associated with DEI involved some incompetent people that weren't getting jobs
based on their merit. But you're forgetting why the need for dee I was necessary to begin with, similar to white a Rooney ruling the National Football League was was necessary to begin with, similar to our affirmative action was necessary. If you hadn't been so in citios, so vicious, so inequitable, and in terms of how you treated other human beings that weren't white, those programs wouldn't have needed to be
in existence. But that doesn't mean that the left end go overboard in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis by those police officers, mainly Derek Chauvin, and that they didn't use it as an opportunity to try to guilt the nation in the voting for them, regardless of the incompetence and the tone deafness that they operated under. Everybody's hands are dirty, everybody. The difference is Trump. Trump doesn't mind getting his hands dirty and dirty are so Yeah,
you're right. This whole thing with the freeze, the federal freezing has been somewhat mishandled, particularly in the public eye, and he had to be called on the carpet for it, and he had to backtrack a little bit to make sure that they dited their eyes and courts their teas appropriately before moving forward with it at a later date. But make no mistake, he has sent the message he
ain't messing around. Now the Democrats can get back to doing the job they were supposed to do, legitimately pointing out the flaws and his moving forward as opposed to trying to take us back when you swear he's the one doing it, it's you two trying to get us back to a time where we fall for your frivolous nonsense instead of the issues that are really really important to us coming up. He's known for the sitcoms Blackish and Grownish, and he also directed the hilarious You People
on Netflix. The one and only Kenya Barras is here. We'll get to him just ahead, but first, Drew ski is here and he's got some exciting news from Prospects. That's next on a Stephen Nasmith's show, My Guest is an actor, comedian, and creative reality shows, comedy tours, a record label, and over sixteen million followers across Instagram and TikTok and over two point three million subscribers on YouTube. As well. He's here to talk about the prospect Super
Sweat contest. Please we come up, boy, drew Ski's in the house. What's up big time with you? Man?
How's everything ready? We ready? You see, I'm in the just locking you.
Ain't nothing wrong with that. Ain't nothing wrong with that. Working on Jay and all of that.
Yeah, working on the j I've been doing a couple back down. Who was working on the dribble?
For sure? I like that. I like that.
Look, before we get into the Prospects supersweat Conscious want to take a moment to acknowledge some of the alcolades you received in the last few years, because I think the audience needs to know, Okay, we're talking. June twenty twenty four, Complex crowned Jew the number one funniest person on the Internet right now, named to the Hollywood Reporters in Augurille Creator a list that celebrated the fifty most
influential influencers. So props for that. Forbes twenty twenty four Top Creators List for a second consecutive Yeah, I mean damn twenty twenty three thirty list.
Man, I got a guarantee. I gotta get it to you. Eight it's a blessing. I'll say that for sure. You know, I'm not one of those guys. I don't like to rebdend. You can keep throwing. If there's more.
I think there's a couple more thing.
I mean, there's a couple more highlighted on Rolling Stones Top twenty five most Influenced.
All Right, were done, We've.
Done, We've done. Okay, I'm just saying. But you know, when with prize picks, we like winnows bro and you're a winner. So that's why we do it.
That's why I'm ready for the Super Sweat.
Man. You know, I need everybody to put in there. You know, their dance lists and everything they need to do. Just get it popping. It's time for you submit your videos of your best dance. So that's really what I'm excited about. You know, last year I won a million dollars in the Super Sweat during the Big Game, so you know they're doing a million dollars again, so we gotta you know, I'm trying to get all my fans to participate.
Damn right, damn right, get that shit. You know I'm all about that. Get that paper. Let's I don't know, I don't know, man, I don't know. You know how everybody got your bag on the back of That's right, you know I want it on the back end. I do want it on the back end, I really really do. Let's get to the reason you're here. You want a million dollars, like you just said during the Big Game last year making your picks on prize picks. How surprised were you when you want?
Honestly, bro, I honestly, I had no idea that I was that close because I think it came down to.
Overtime.
So if the game last year didn't go into overtime, I really there was no chance I was gonna green now. But I think with everything working together and it all, Hey, I don't know what happened, but I'm thankful that they put that dude no agree back in the game is as a backup tight end for Travis Kelce and they put him in for one play and that one play home stew So I'm like, hey, I was, Hey, I ain't gonna lie. I almost passed out that night for sure, absolutely celebrating going on in Vegas.
That's all.
People don't realize. That's what it's one thing to make some money. It's another thing to make a lot of it in one night. I mean that really hits you. It's a that's a different kind of effect. Right, Well, you know where I went that night. I got you. We're both part of the Prospect Super Sweat concous So let's get that out of the way with prosects. Are
not the first Super Sweat petitor. On Conference Championship Sunday, you have a Prospect social media contest that will give someone a chance to win one million dollars on the Big Games. Explain how that works, Juicy.
So pretty much what you do. Everybody has to make a dance video.
And you know, with social media being so popular, you gotta submit this dance video to the world. Has tag put Super Sweat anywhere. It don't matter if you post it on x, Instagram, TikTok, whever. Just post it tag Prize, pickts, tag Drew Ski, hastag super Sweat and you got You gonna get a chance at a million dollars. But you got to have a good dance with your dance. Move's gotta be on point. We need to like your best touchdown type celebration dance. That's what that's honestly what I'm
looking for. And I got to pick between you know, three, I think two or three people. So yeah, we're gonna come down to see who can make that happen. But yeah, I'm excited for that for sure.
Do you have a go to touchdown dance?
I think a lot of people always see the little stuff I do, Man, they see it on social media.
I got you, But do you have one go to? That's what I want to know. Come asking.
I'm okay, I'm gonna tell you. I've been in the gym, I've been training. You know, I'm at the ote arena right now, so I kind of I just pulled my hind leg and practice. We just was running suicide, So I can't. I couldn't show you nothing now. Usually you know, I get up, I'll show you whatever.
But I but you got cramp and you're running your tie. You got cramps? All that, right? That's yeah?
You know how it is.
You get this right, athletes?
Yeah, I understand.
I gotta hop, but I'm gonna be good. That's right.
Ain't nothing wrong with the ice. Bad works, bro. It does work. It'll do some things for you. It'll do some things. Look, man, I appreciate your time. Man, thank you so much for being here. Man, go get in the ice bucket. You know what I'm saying, ice everything. Don't catch any cramps. We got a lot of stuff to deal with between now, over the next one months, over the next week, week, you know everything that everything damn right, icy hot baby, and everything else too.
Shoot, you know about that.
We gotta go, We gotta go, We gotta go. Alright, alright, everybody listen up with all the big time sports action that's happening each and every day, NFL games, NBA games, and the college football playoffs. The Steven A. Smith Show wants to make sure you are taking advantage of all of it. That's why we partner with Prize Picks, the largest fantasy sports platform and all the land, to help you cash in on all your sports knowledge. You see.
Prize Picks is a daily fantasy app where you pick two or more of your favorite players and then you select more or less or they're projected stats for the game. Choose from any of your favorite players Travis Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes, and Shake Gilders Alexander all of the same entry to sit back and watch. The list is endless and now with Prize Picks Flex Friday option, you can still cash
out even if your lineup isn't perfect. That's right, every Friday, just look for the protected play so win or your cash back and get this. Prospects Now offers master card for quick and easy deposits into your account during this sports season. Make your picks in less than sixty seconds and turn your sports opinions into real money all season long on prospects So download day afterday and use code says to get fifty dollars instantly after you play your
first five dollar lineup. Again, download the app and use cold says to get fifty dollars instantly after your first five dollar lineup. Prospects run your game. This message is brought to you by color Guard, a non invasive colon cancer screening test. So I want to talk about colon cancer screening for a second here. I know you might hear that and instantly feel a bunch of dread. You're thinking stuff like drinking all of that prep liquid, having
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today at coli guard dot com, slash podcast. The color Guard test is intended to screen adults forty five and older at average risk for colorectal cancer. Do not use a color Guard test if you have had autonomas, have inflammatory bowel disease, and certain hereditary syndromes, or personal or family history of colorectal cancer. The color Guard test is
not a replacement for colonoscopies and high risk patients. Color Guard test performance in adults ages forty five to forty nine is estimated based on a large clinical study of patients fifty and older. False positives and false negatives can occur. Col of Guard is available by prescription only. Welcome back to Stephnie Smith Show, My Next Guest is an Emmy Award winning producer and the writer, director, and actor known
for hit ABC sitcoms Blackish, Grownish, Mixed Dish. He's also known for directing You People, starring Eddie Murphy on Netflix, among other things. Of course, now he's got a new podcast on Audible called The Unusual Suspects, and it appears that he's taken over my studio. I mean, I don't even know what else to say. One and only Kenya Barris is in the house.
What's that?
Big time? How are you man?
I'm good, bro. I just want to make a couple quick changes.
Oh my lord, that's my book, just a couple of what could I have done better? What could I have done better?
Man?
It's perfect as tell me, how are you?
Bro?
It's good to see you. My brother's good to see you, first of all, First or to business, with all that you've accomplished, with all the great things that you continue to do in Hollywood and beyond. Here you are with a new podcast. Talk to me about this, the usual suspects, what it's all about.
I got with Malcolm, we became friends. I approached him at a restaurant, and always my joke is like, when you see a writer in public, it's kind of like saying a porn star, because it's like you've seen somebody who you have this intimate relationship with, you know what I'm saying, and you don't see him out And so when I saw him, I was like, oh, I I did the whole I never do this, but like, he
couldn't have been sweeter. And we struck up a friendship since then, and we kind of realized that we looked at things as he's a million times smarter than me, but we looked at things.
We both like to look at the thing.
Behind the thing, and we kind of thought we were our couple, but at the same time not our couple. And we I'm a huge fan of his revisional history podcasts and his books, and were like, let's get together and talk to people. We both love that other people love, but might not know that they love him, or why they love him, or who exactly are. And that's kind of the point behind the podcasts.
Wow, that's a great idea. Shoot, I wish I would have thought about it my damn self. But that's why you are who you are. And I'm just littlelone me. I'm just little low me. I mean, how much? How interested are you really really doing this? Because you're a doer. Some of us are just talkers for crying out loud. But you've done a lot, You've accomplished a lot. What is it going to be like for you to be
in front of the microphone? And not only that, keep in mind that even in the age of podcasting, it almost seems like a video is a attached to every podcast. So you're going to be seen and heard more from a literal perspective. And it's not just your name and people knowing the name and that's the man who does this great work. But now they'll see you and they'll know you. How ready are you for that?
Well?
We did it, so it's finished, so so's it's coming out, so we will we will see I was I'm you know, I'm I got a little bit more comfortable being in front of the camera doing black af but I still feel like you can rob me with a camera beyond Cole says you can rob him or a snake, you can rob me with a camera.
Like but I do I do like asking questions.
I think that everybody's story is amazing, you know what I'm saying, Even the time we've spent just talking about just think everybody's story. If you just sit out and talk to anybody, everybody's story is amazing. And we got to talk to some truly amazing people who had truly amazing stories. And one of the things that we I guess, like the narrative, you know, thematic that we were looking for everybody.
It's like, is there.
Something that people who have achieved great things? Is there something in them that we could kind of find a narrative to. And there were some things I'm saying, relationships to mothers or surrogate mothers, relationships to you know, passion compared to compulsion, compared to you know, ambition. But like in general, it was really just an amazing center and listening to people that we all kind of had our own like sort of secret private love, relate relationship with.
You know, when I look at you and I think about the great work that you've done throughout the years, I guess the question that I think about asking you often is what would you say you bring to Hollywood, to television, to movies, et cetera. That's an aberration that's different, nothing than what other people have brought.
A bunch of luck. Now, I feel like I think, I you know, you know, and just same thing. I think that you do the same thing. I think that a lot of people do. We come from a different place that Hollywood was not used to, you know what I'm saying, And I try to bring the most authentic version of who I am, the most author version of telling stories, and also the most authentic version of other people's stories.
I think that is for me.
I don't like to play the you know, the game of like trying to say or you know, reach everybody.
I want to reach the people who want to hear the truth.
And I think that's something that we do in this podcast, and then I, you know, I won't hopefully do just in the in the work that I do.
Why do you think you've been able to pull it off, particularly in ways that most people especially most black folks haven't been able to pull off obviously, the road or the obstacles that Hollywood presents and what have you. That's a challenging and of itself. But you've clearly conquered a lot of the obstacles that have been placed in the
path of many many of us. That hasn't been the case for you, at least from the from from from our vantage point, how do you think you've been able to pull it off?
I mean, first and foremost, like you know, not just as the goodest.
I mean, you know, obviously, God I'm saying, like you know, I think he has plans and He's given me, you know, some blessings and a destination that has a journey for me.
So I always want to, you know, take that first. I think that.
I also feel, like, you know, I started from the bottom, I was a PA and work my way up. I think that's something that doesn't happen as much anymore, you know what I'm saying. People kind of get thrust into it and they aren't quite ready because the place that they're thrust into, they haven't seen all the stuff that
can come before. I think working your way up and learning that you know, what everybody's job is, what everybody's name is, what everybody's job is important, and having respect for that, and just like really really being curious, Like I'm really really curious about a lot of different stuff, and so I'm being curious and trying to answer my curiosities.
And then do it in an entertaining way.
I think that's sort of if there's been anything that's sort of been. The thing that I try to do is like take stuff that people are curious about and how to answer it back, and not just answer from one point of view. Make sure you put enough different people in different characters. Me and Malcolm are different but the same in some aspects. But make sure you don't
come out I from just one point of view. Come at it from a lot of different points of view, and be open to like people disagreeing like you disagree with your co hosts and people all the time. I think that's what makes some of the best stories.
You know, I'm wondering what do you feel about the advent of podcast and not only that, suemingly everybody having their own production company in this day and age, venturing into a world that some would say you've now mastered. How do you feel about the proliferation of it, just the activity in the industry now more so than ever before, because I imagine somebody like yourself has an idea about who's qualified to be in this space and who isn't. What are your thoughts about that?
I love it, you know what I'm saying.
I love it, and I the reason I love it is, you know I you know, I look up you know, I look at you. The difference between you, i'll, difference between Cam and May is the difference between shann and the difference between you know, Oprah or whoever. Really, you know what I'm saying, people or you know whatever, And I feel like there's a I think, finally there's a lot of diversity, and I think it's really important.
I also feel like it will show.
Eventually that the cream will rise, which I think is really important because I think that everybody can't do something, and once people everybody thinks they can, it kind of actually makes the people who can do it a little bit more special. So in a little bit of an asshole way, I love that everybody's trying to do it. I love One of my favorite things is like people
come from my house, and my house is decent. My boys who grew up with will be like, man, I should start writing, and I'm like, yeah, man, because because it's just that easy, everybody can do it, you should start doing it too, you know what I'm saying. It's like, I think the idea of you know, we're in a place where the media and the tools have allowed people feel like everybody can do it.
Everybody can't do it, you know what I'm saying.
We'll see if I can do it, but I feel like there are certain people who are good at what they do, and you got to give everybody a chance so that it will actually the cream will rise and people will say, oh, that dude is actually really special.
When you look at right now. Particularly, let me transition for a quick second to what you know. You live in Los Angeles, and what has transpired in Los Angeles with the wildfires obviously has been catastrophic, so many people being displaced, so many people losing their homes, et cetera. You have folks who ain't even political getting a bit political because they're disgusted with the local government and how they've been doing things in terms of their planning, being
their preparation, et cetera, et cetera. You could take it anywhere you want to go. As this stuff has unfolded over the last few weeks in Los Angeles and it's outskirts of Pacific Palisades and beyond out to Dina, let's not forget that. What have you been What have been your thoughts watching all of this unfold.
I've had a huge amount of thoughts, I'm saying, and like, it's a really big, big, big big It's like it's it's stopped me from doing a lot of my work.
You know.
I had a conversation, you know, with a couple of filmmakers. If I had if I have time right now, I would turn a camera on and I would tell that camera to go and start taping, and I would call it a tail of two cities.
And I want to see.
Right now, in real time, how these two cities affected by both fired unbelievable strategy or people a lot of stuff, how it's handled, and the difference in how it's handled.
I love to tell that story. That's one thing I'd love the point love.
I think you could almost make a case study out of how it's you know, the difference of how it's handled. I've also talked to you know, a lot of friends and people that have relationships with to try to talk about for my particular you know what I'm saying. I'm sad for everyone, but you know, my particular people to advocate like in Althadium was the first one of you know, if not the first black middle class enclave where we
could have it. And it's one of the only places in America where you have like historic you know, passed down like grandmother's gave the houses to mothers, gave the houses to daughters, you know what I'm saying. And that's one of the only places that still in this country
you could see that. I'm very much so concerned that Alad, you know, some big development group, black so black Rock, whatever you wanna call it, is going to come in and they're going to take it from us, and it's going to be you know, passing in the hills, you know what I'm saying, passing in too. And I feel like I want to make sure that that place continues to look like it was like it looked before it was.
You know, this tragedy happened because I think it's really important that we had We saw it happen to us in New Orleans. We saw it happened, happened, is happening to us in Harlem, saw it happening in.
Brooklyn.
We saw it happen in you know, Miami, the Venice Canals, we saw it happened in the idea that when things happen, we get you know, we get wiped out, and they figure out another way. So I've I've had some conversations, you know, I'm saying. I have been in some aspects really inspired by there was response, and other aspects try to keep it to myself right now, I feel like certain people have sort of degalvanized from a group and
sort of been more interested in their path. I feel like, for me, I really want this to be something that we help the city and the audience and the guests and the people who live there, you know what I'm saying, and the people who've been a part of the strategy be able to look and see that that city looks like the city that they remember when they you know, when it was at its heyday. I think the population is at thirty six percent black, It was well over
fifty or sixty and gentrification and started shrinking it. I don't want to look up ten years from now and it's just been wiped away.
Please consider me a soldier on your behalf and making sure we keep a spotlight on that kind of story, because clearly we don't need to just sit back and let that happen to be quiet about it. Ain't no question about that. So I'm riding with you on that one all day every day. I got to ask you
about Hollywood in this regard though. Talking to Rob Lowe just a couple of days ago, he was talking about how he's lived in Los Angeles since the seventies and Hollywood, meaning the business in Hollywood, Hollywood itself, you know, just the business that's everywhere. It's Atlanta, there's various other places, Detroit, various other places throughout the country, out the world, even
Vancouver of around out loud stuff like that. But in Hollywood businesses, you just see the level of activity dissipating. Does Hollywood have a lot to worry about because of the government, the local government and things that are going on in the state of California. Does Hollywood have a lot to worry about?
Hell?
Yeah, I feel like you are in an industry that is controlling the world right now in terms of entertainment. Sports controls is the number one, you know driver right now of entertainment. All the entertainment facets, from the streamers to the linear parts to the cable have quadrupled ten times fold their contracts, double down, triple down. They understand the sports is a driving force. I think the idea of like actual narrative, you know, content is taking a die.
There's been several articles that talked about I think comedies are down thirty seven percent. I feel like, I, you know, try to like examine why. I think, you know, I went to a game the other day and the Clippers were down the Clipper and the Clippers were down twenty six in the first by the end end, but we
won the game. And I think that's one thing that people understood about sports and the why those contracts in the NBA and NFL we were able to sort of get the money they want because every night when you watch a sports game, it's like watching potentially a hit movie. And there's nothing else in the world that can give you that promise of that, you know, I'm saying, you can't promise that with a with a with the television
show a promise that on the movie. So I understand why sports is so important, but I also feel like, you know, we're seeing a contracting of all the media studios. You know, it used to be twenty and now we're saying this game became attracted to this, manuye this, and it's gonna be smaller and smaller, and I feel like more and more jobs are being lost. You see, when tragedies like this happen, those are people are gonna move out of Los Angeles where they gonna go. I feel like,
you know, I was looking. I'm doing a documentary on the Great Jerry West. I got to interview Adam Silver and basketball, which I'm a huge fan of. It's down and watching I think it's down forty eight percent something like that, you know what I'm saying.
And I think the only.
Reason you can look at that is kids don't watch aren't watching TV live, right, what I'm saying. So if you're really a basketball fan growing up, I watched my team every you had to watch them three four.
Times a week, you know what I'm saying.
Football has a great advantage, even though there's a couple of days, but in general, you get you get one day week, they own a day of the week, you know I'm saying, And it's benefiting from that. Also, the thing that I this is my own personal before like you know, NBA dominates social media. You can go look at the clips, which in some aspects probably felt like
a really great thing. But when you're not watching watching your team every week every night, and you can just look on clips and see LaMelo's highlights or see Bronze highlights, or see jobs highlights, that helps hurts the you know things. So and I also feel like, you know, the globalization of sports, you know.
What I'm saying.
I think there's a lot of different things that are affecting what media is. But I do think that it is we're seeing sparks if it come back. I was super happy to see East's movie Open up. Well, I'm excited about the oscars. Maybe bring some excitement to it. I think if you look at the you know, we've had to survive a pandemic, a strike, and now these fires, you know what I'm saying, and now you know, just
in an election, you know what I'm saying. I think there's been some things that have really stunned and what entertainment is and having it grow. But I feel like there, hopefully there is some hope of some things coming back.
You know what I'm saying.
I think that we're seeing some of the bright people like you know, you, Chuck Shaq. I've seen people who actually know the game getting into it in a different way. They're going to create you guys are going to create better stuff. So I have faith, but I do I am worried.
Let me transition to you in this regard multi generational Coca Cola commercial. I watched it. I saw Laura London and then I mean I was like, I said, damn, that seemed I mean, that seemed like a Super Bowl commercial. I mean, this is some special stuff right here right now. That's what I'm talking about with Kenya Burch. Talk to me about that. Tell me about how that came about.
I got a chance. They came to me.
They've only did it once before, they did with the creator of the Bear. They wanted to do something that scratched over some generations. I worked with them. I pitchedhot idea of like you know, growing up in the hood, everybody had that liquor store that they went to and it served a lot of different purposes. It was, you know, the thing that kind of almost becomes like a community icon. And I felt like I wanted to tell a story
that like what happens over the generations. And I think, you know, interesting enough, Coca Cola is often a sponsor of that.
You know what I'm saying.
You go in there and you do your suicide at the machine, or you play video games, or you had your first kiss, or you got your in your first fight, got your bikes, got your bike still there.
So I feel like telling.
That story was really special to me, and they really you know, we had, you know, to get that cast together, you know, get my sister Lauren, Lauren London, and get the great Omara Harwig, you know, Tay Hecker, I got my kid's mom, and my kids were in it with me and saying Linel voices. I think I think could be the face of the next generation of black superstars.
I'm saying, to do.
It under the banner of coke and under the banner of a store in the hood, like that was.
I was a dream come true. Man.
I don't know if you ever realized, I mean, how phenomenal it is that you pulled off what you pulled off with Blackish. And this is what. Let me tell you this little story because Anthony Anderson is a friend of mine and he came to me and he talked to me about Blackish. He came on first take to promote Blackish before before the first episode, and I never forget he and I were talking in the green room prior to it, and I said, bro, great cast ken
use that, dude. I'm not worried about the content. Here's my problem. Look at the world we live in. In the title Blackish, are you sure? Are you sure that that's not gonna hold it back? ABC Network Television Blackish? He said, we ain't worried one damn bit. We're gonna do this. That's what he said to me. That's what And sure enough, y'all did it? Did you have any reservations or was
that on purpose purposeful the title Blackish? Did you think in any way that that was going to galvani or not shouting to say galvinized, but polarized or alienate an audience? Were you ever worried about that at all?
I wasn't the network wise.
I'm saying that on tour, saying to talk about what because people thought it meant like cursed. People thought it might like is this saying like black shit or just you know what I'm saying, or like or less than black and whatnot, And they really didn't come down from I really came to like, I have six kids, they had their.
Little friends come over.
I looked around the country, and there really wasn't a black or white kid that I remember left in the you know what I'm saying, Like, even though when you go to the hood, you know what I'm saying, black kids is dressing in like skaters. I feel like we're all a little bit of blackish black, white black. What I'm saying, there's a black culture has penetrated the culture in such a way that I really felt like that was what like we are this country is blackish, I'm saying,
is a little bit of us? Isn't everything we've done? And I want I'm a big fan of titles. I think titles matter a lot, you know what I'm saying, Like when I solid four year old virgin, you got what it was immediately.
You know what I'm saying.
When I you know, I'm saying the things that I really love, Like I feel like you know, you want a title that sticks out, that makes noise. It's loud, and I feel like, you know saying I did black af I feel like you want something that says what it is, you know what it is in the title, and makes people actually want to tune in it.
What's that story? Uh? That's that?
The average how Restern fan listens an hour a day, The average how Restern hater listens two hours?
You know what I'm saying.
When you when you get people sort of mad, it's all something they want. They actually want to tune in more. And sometime we'll actually find something that they will know the best way. I think you know my grandmother thing. You want to exit a conversation differently than you enter it. That's a good conversation. You want people to try to exit this this episode different than the interest. So they want them to go into the show feeling a certain way and leave out feeling a different way.
And then then I feel like that's what true success is.
Do you care about being hated or disliked doing what you do?
Full of it?
I don't, I'm saying, but I but I do for my kids, if that makes sense. You know what I'm saying, I met, I make jokes about the whole I'm a colorist, you know what I'm saying, thing like I saw a joke somebody puts, you know, says like I'm a color So I just did a show based around my family. My wife is biracial and the kids that we make look like the kids that me and biracial who will make. And people were like, you're a coloross. I'm like, well,
are just doing a show based on my feeling. But I understand, you know, the commentary around, and I wanted to talk about that, but I do feel like when.
The only time it affects me is when it affects my kids.
When people come and like you know, leave comments like you're not really black and things like that, that does affect me because I feel like they don't they didn't ask to be brought into this, although they've you know, reaped a lot of the benefits of.
It too much sometime.
But I do feel like, you know, I think that that is and I think you know better than anybody, you know what I'm saying, Like you're gonna do you you know what I'm saying, and if you do, if you do, you and people don't have some shit to say, then you're probably not doing the right. Look at Lebron, look at exact, look at George, look at anybody who's you know, we're doing everything.
If people just like everything you're doing, you're problemly not doing right.
With that being said, you brought up your kids on a couple of occasions from minder. And first of all, you got six kids, right, I'm right about that, right, you got six kids?
Right?
Uh? You and your wife? How many and how many of your kids work for you? And how do you do you even try to shield them from the kind of things you just talked about, wanting to avoid them being subjected to.
Well, my daughter and I just sold a movie yesterday. She wrote.
Okay, we wrote the Richard Pryor series which were out with which I'm unble. She was in the room and she did an amazing job. She became one of the young my middle daughter, she became one of the young.
Hold on, hold on, hold on. Can you first of all, what's her name and how old does she?
Her name is Leah Barris. Okay, she's twenty three. Okay, amazing young young writer.
She is, you know, just such a better writer me smart, funny, you know I'm saying, really her own person. My daughter Kaylee is runs our social media. She is she went to USC and very interesting, like it's full of riz and full of always kind of telling me, you know how I'm what I'm not doing right and I'm corny. My daughter come to corny and lame constantly.
My youngest daughter, I got a sixteen and a fifteen year old. My youngest daughter just called me corny. She she just called me corny two days ago. I feel it, really did.
It does hurt your feeling because they can get you. They don't care. My youngest daughter, not a little bit. My youngest daughter, Lola Gosta, she's been she's interned at our company.
She's at Spelman right now. Four point oh student.
You know what I'm saying, went to Sierra Kenyon with Juju and and Bronnie and Rice and was all part of that and went out to Atlanta and is having her culture shocked. A liiver bit that My oldest son Bo we call him Pops. He's interned there. He's doing you know, has his own thing. So those four have worked there. Hopefully my next two will will in some aspects come and work, work with me. But I feel like that's the greatest thing that I've been been able
to do, is to be able to do something. I get to work with my kids, and I've stolen so much from them in the stories and the ideas, and you know, they're my my test group. No matter what I do, they have to like they're forced to read, listen and hear are pitches and do all that. I kind of think like that's something that we used to do a lot more as Black people would get to like work with our family.
And I think, to me.
That's the greatest gift any of this has been given me, is the idea of not only being able to provide, but to be able to work with them and see them grow and see them be a part of what.
You know, our hope is a better future.
Why do you think we're not doing more of that as a people? I don't know what we used to do. What you just alluded to, think the opportunity.
I think the opportunities are not there, you know what I'm saying, or not as present, you know what I'm saying. With the American dream has not been as kind to us as we would like it to be. You know what I'm saying, We've had to sort of grab it in a different kind of way, and when it has we've kind of more so done it to you know,
provide and and and just you know, get by. I think the idea of the you know, for most of us have had any kind of real, you know, some type of success that people would say is is more of than nominal. We're first generation. I got to work with Tracy Ross and Rashida Jones, who like are some of the only second generation successful people I know, But in general, for most of us, this is first generation.
We don't have a blueprint.
Who's been our blueprint of how we sort of we don't know how to pay taxes and pay packs is the right way and tax loops and when a stock is gonna split and we're how to how to do this, Like we're kind of figuring it out for the first time. So I feel like having my kids around so that when their their time comes up, they have an ability to do something that I didn't do.
Like that, to me is everything.
Great, great advice. I ain't gonna lie to you because I think about the same thing you got me thinking about it. I'm thinking about going home having a conversation with my daughters. But they gotta get to work for me. They gotta get to work for me. They've been holding off long enough. They don't want to answer to their dad. That's what they do. They're like, we gotta deal with you enough. We don't want to deal with you on
a job too. But anyway, care I'm gonna make them anyway before I let you get on out of here. You brought up the Richard Pryor project, right, I know you mentioned that, but didn't you once you involved the remake of the Wizard of Oz, once you involved with something along those lines as well as It's a wonderful life. What's going on with those two projects?
I mean, were they were ready to go?
Strike happen, you know what I'm saying, And now everything has to People understand that whenever things like you you know, you've seen it happen in sports, or you've happened contract negotia, it takes everything and step back, you know what I'm saying. Scripture, you know we're ready to go. We have to you know it right now, it's about getting things cast. People don't understand how magical actors are you know, I'm saying,
you can't do anything with actors. So it's like getting a cast and budgets are shrinking because the studios are all contracting and like they have to look at, you know, what is their spend for this year, what's their spending for that year.
It's it's a lot that goes into make a movie.
I don't think people understand, like you have to not only get the script to a point wh people want to make it. Then you got to get a budgeted. Then you got to get the stars. Then the stars have to be available. Then you have to get a director who's available during the time. Then you have to make sure that the company and that quarter has you know, one hundred hundred and fifty million dollars two hundred million
dollars to spend. Then they have to make sure that they have you know, seventy five to one hundred million dollars in PA. Then you have to make sure that you're you're ready in a place to go shoot.
The things that come.
Together to make a movie happen are it's it's amazing that they happen the way that they do, because it is a lot of things that have to fall into place.
I got you before I get you, let you get on out of here. I'm inn you think you know I'm not gonna let you get on out of here without talking about your clippers. Right, You're not gonna have to ask you what we got talking about. I didn't expect them to be I didn't expect them to be as good as they were. They still got some work to do. It's nice to see Kawhi Lendon on the court. I don't know how long that's gonna last. We got a hold on it that moment. We got a question
about that. James Tyler is a hell of a coach. He came on this show. He came on this show and raved raved about uh, you know, Jeff Van Gundy and what he's brought to the team defensive as an assistant coach. How are you feeling about your clippers right now?
I'm feeling I'm feeling excellent. I'm feeling excellent.
I feel like every night before we got Kawhi, I feel like every night we were competitive. Even if we lost, every night we were competitive. And I feel like tyleru the ability to get dudes who before they came to him, who didn't think that they could play on that level. The ability of not just the coaching that but the what it takes for a coach to get into the mentality of a player to make them believe that they can compete on the highest level and play as a team.
That is an amazing thing to do.
How the hell is somebody living in Los Angeles and they find themselves being a Clippers fan and not a Lakers fan. How does that happen?
Well, I'm a Laker fan. I'm not allowed. Clipper fans can be Laker fans. Laker fans have to be Clipper haters. I'm a Laker.
I'm elect point. I'm a Laker fan.
Love Lebron, you know, love j jj Reddick is trying to do love a d rich Paul is my boy.
I keep saying I'm a Laker fan. But my Clippers.
When I started being able to buy tickets from my family could afford them.
They were affordable.
The the environment felt like a real environment, like people who were there wanted to be there.
It wasn't so good seeing glossy. They were scrappy.
I got to go through Lob City, I got I got to see the end of Pool Richardson. I get to now see I got to CEPG whose game was like jazz to me. I got to see, you know, Harden, who I think might be. You know, when it all goes sitting down, you know, is he in the top five?
You know what I'm saying, when it's all said and done, I got to know. No, I love him.
If you want to start talking about stats, you're gonna start talking about stats.
Somebody stopped that.
Come on, come on.
Stop, can you stop it? He's not top top five, He's top one of the greatest scores in NBA history, one of the greatest scorers, no doubt.
In history, in history, right, and you have when you add up all his stats, his stats have to put him in the top ten.
His stats have to put him in toping.
You know what, I'm gonna dedicate a segment on this show.
It's gonna blow your mind on this show. Your mind, It's.
Gonna blow your I'm gonna say, I'm gonna replay it for the NBA audience, and I'm gonna say, ken, you bears said James Harden, top five, say top ten?
It I say, top.
Ten, top ten, top Ten's.
Lokistically he might be in the top five.
And if you just go shooting guards, I am absolutely sure he's in the top five.
You know you on camera, right, I will say that right now, you know right.
And James James is not my boy.
I love his game, I am saying that, and he's his When you look at his statistics, they are phenomenal, phenomenal, Okay, you know they are.
I'm not knocking it. I'm saying I'm saying you piaqued my curiosity. I gotta go back and look at it hard about this, and I gotta say, wait a minute, must look at Kenya Barris's vantage point and let's see if it's right. Look, man, I'm gonna let you get on out of here. I appreciate it. The usually the unusual suspects. When is the podcast? When is the podcast?
Drop?
It drops tomorrow?
Right?
Yes, I'm gonna say yes because I don't have actual.
Yes it drops tomorrow. I know this for sure. I was just double checking. But anyway, man, I appreciate you. I owe you big time. Man. I'm sorry they got my day job. Maybe I don't run. I'm not my own boss with everything like you something just not with everything. So That's what I got to tell me. I owe you big time man. Thank you, bro.
I appreciate you having me. I appreciate you.
All one and only. Can you barrass right here with stephen A coming up? Could we see Daron Fox team up with Victor women Yama And did jj Reddick make a mistake playing Brownie James extended minutes last night in Philadelphia. I'll get into some NBA news. Plus I respond to your tweets. Don't go away. It's your boy, stephen A right here back with moren a minute. I'm looking forward to it. I know you are. Super Bowl fifty nine
in New Orleans, Louisiana. Baby, the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Kansas City Chiefs, Hurts sat Kaan versus my homes Kelsey and the crew. I'm looking forward to it for several Number one, I expected to be a good game. Number two, guess what, I love New Orleans sometimes anyway, the food is great. Number Three, I get to be away from my damn nephew, Josh. He's trying to come down there. I'm not letting him. This little knucklehead right here, this
is this is Josh Junior, my little nephew, Jase. He can't come to the super Bowl. He's gonna be in school, just the way I like it. He can't come.
And you like that.
You gotta stay at home. You gotta stay home. That's how it goes. See y'all at the Super Bowl. Stephen A. Smith Show will be in the house all week long. Holler at you boys, Welcome back to the stephen A. Smith Show. Now let's go to Philadelphia, where Bronnie James last night played his most minutes by far in an NBA game last night as the Lakers lost to the seventy six Ers one eighteen to one oh four. Brownie was held scoreless in fifteen minutes and struggled guarding Sixers
star Tyree's Maxie. Before I get to my thoughts, please take a listen to coach JJ Reddick and what he had to say about Bronnie's performance last night. Take a listen.
Maybe put him in a tough spot, you know, flying up yesterday and you know, nationally televised game and Philly all that stuff.
It's you know, he didn't play well, but.
He's been playing great, you know, in the stay ready games, and he's been playing great in the g You know.
I was on First Take My Day job on ESPN earlier this morning. I spoke about this and I felt the need to elaborate even further because a couple of people text me and pissed me off, and they know who they are, people close to lebron James talking to me about questioning him as a father. Come on, y'all, I mean, it's gotten to a point where this Lebron sensitivity is just beyond the pale. You call him the second best player in the history of the game. You're
insulting him because you said he's not the goat. You're saying that at age forty, we've never seen anybody do what he does, but pointing out at times how he may not have hustled back on defense in a key pivotal moment, and that's a problem. You give him all the praise in the world when he drops forty, but he has a bad night and you say he had a bad night and you're hating. It's ridiculous. But never before has it been more ridiculous than it is right now.
Because the reality is is that we got to be real about what we're seeing when we talk about Bronnie James, I am not a person that had a problem with Bronnie James being on the court for the season opener with Lebron James. That was a phenomenal moment to see a father on the court with his son who has NBA aspirations, playing together for the first time in NBA history. The Griffi's in baseball, King Griffy and Junior were in
attendance for it. It was a special moment. My position has always been that should have been the only moment we saw Bronnie James in the Lakers uniform this season because he's not ready. I'm not here to tell you that he won't be ready. I'm not here to tell you that he won't be an NBA player. I'm not here to tell you that he should give up his dreams and his aspirations. I think the kids got potential. I think the kid will be in the NBA one day. I watched him in the G League doing this thing.
I think he's gonna be fine eventually. But that's not the case yet. And because it's not the case yet, and then you see some of these numbers, I do find myself looking at Lebron James instead of Bronnie James because Lebron is the basketball savant. Lebron is one of the top two greatest players in the history of the game. Lebron hast forgotten more basketball than most people would know. So no matter what we think about Bronnie, he knows more. But you see what you see. Brinnie James is played
in thirteen NBA games, Ladies and gentlemen. He's averaging zero point three points, zero point three assist and zero point four rebounds. He shot one for sixteen from the field in his NBA career, an zero for seven from three point range. And he's playing in the first quarter of an NBA game, really, and everybody wants to look at it. And Lebron has nothing to do with that. That's yeah, he didn't tell JJ Reddick to put him.
In the game.
I get all that, but come on, I'm not being cruel to Bronnie. I'm I'm looking out. Do you want it this way, Lebron? Do you want it this way? Rich Paul? Do you want it this way? He can't go into the G League and average twenty twenty five and stay there until he's ready because he's Lebron's son, you know, how they're gonna judge him. And before anybody wants to jump on me, remember I never saw Bronnie James play until he showed up in the NBA and
the G League. I refused to watch him because if I watched him, I would have to talk about him. And I didn't want to talk about Lebron James son because I thought it was so unfair to the kid. He's such a wonderful kid, wonderful family. I don't want to hear me talking about questioning Lebron James' fatherhood, Lebron How many times do I have to rave about Lebron James On ESPN? I put up a ticker great father, great husband, great philanthropians, great businessman, great actor, great producer,
great director, great great great great. How many times have I said that, I'm simply saying, yo, he's not ready yet, and to put him out there getting him exposed to that, it's really hard to watch. When Kobe Bryant was a rookie and shot those airballs in that closed out playoff game against the Utah Jazz, people were talking about he wasn't ready for the moment, and I thought it was unconscidable.
What coach Del Harris at the time did to him by throwing him to the wolves because he got frustrated because Kobe kept talking about how he's gonna end up being the greatest ever because he was chasing Jordan, and they got tired of here in his mouth and his bravado, and he threw him to the wolves very unfairly, which I think it's something that ultimately ruined Del Harris because he shouldn't have done that. But nobody questioned whether or
not Kobe Bryant belonged to the NBA. Nobody question that. With Bronnie James, they're questioning it because there's no collegiate career to speak of, because he had the health issue and never really did anything at USC in his only
year there. And he ends up getting drafted fifty fifth overall, and I don't care about the money that he's gonna end up making, like he'll end up making over a span a couple of years, eight million, while the other fifty fifth pick from the year before the year before that probably made it about eight hundred thousand. The hell with that. Lebron James is underpaid. Lebron James is underpaid. He should
get paid much more than he's getting paid. In Any money that he could get for his son, he could get for Rich Paul, he could get for him, anybody he should get because he is underpaid. Well what he means to the NBA. I don't care about the money. I care about what the kid is being exposed to. With Lebron James mystique hoefery over him zero point three points, zero point three assists, zero point four rebounds, one for sixteen shooting over all, zero for seven from three point
range thirteen games. There are millions of kids out there starving to play in an NBA game that are more qualified than his status show. And what I'm saying is, if you see a son being exposed to things they may not be ready for, when do you wrap your arms around them and say, all right now, now's not the time. I use the box analogy on first take earlier this day, and I used Marvis Fraser, the son of Joe Fraser. Go back and look at the highlights.
He went into the ring against heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, who had one of the best jabs and one of the best right hands in boxing history. And I remember Larry Holmes being interviewed and saying, ain't no kid with ten damn fights beating me, That's what he said, And then went in there and beat him in the first round.
Remember he dropped them. And then remember Fraser gets up and if you remember the fight, ladies and gentlemen, Larry hit him with a right and waved the referee on hit him with the right and waved the referee to come and stop the fight. Hit him again, waved the referee to stop the fight because he knew the kid didn't belong in the ring with him, and you know,
took the hits for that. Joe Fraser, former heavy champion of the world, one of the great fighters in history, had no business putting his son at that early stage in the squared circle with Larry Holmes. Look it up. That's all I'm saying with Lebron the best of intentions, wonderful father by all accounts. I'm not casting any aspersions on him. I'm saying, that's your son, bro. You know the game of basketball. He ain't ready yet. Why put him in that position? You had your moment being on
the court with him. Now, that kid's gotta go earn his stripes, which I believe he will do watching him in the G League. Can't do this, can't continue to let us see what we've been seeing. And I'm wrong. I'm questioning him as a father because I'm saying, YO, wrap your arms around him and say not now, not just yet. That's questioning somebody's fatherhood, you see. That's why ladies and gentlemen, Contrary to what people believe, I have a great relationship with a lot of NBA players. You
don't have to know that. I know that. I know who talks to me, I know who gives me information. I know who reaches out to me. There's plenty of players. Some of the stars don't, and I could give less than a shit because we've devolved to a point where literally trying to be constructive and helpful is considered hating. They adopted, their hanging on is adopted, and you're the villain for pointing out obvious. I'm tired of that sensitive shit.
It drives me nuts. We gotta preface every comment we make with a bunch of platitudes and lauda bulls about everything. I mean, damn, what do we gotta do do their laundry before we say something? We gotta sit there and give them a bubble bath. Before we sat they played like shit. I mean, come on, it's gotta stop. I mean, no disrespect whatsoever to Lebron on this issue. I would never do that to any player, any athlete. I'm saying, we all see what's happening with your son right now.
It's kind of hard to watch. Not that it won't change, not that it won't get better, but it's not there yet. You could do something about that. Why haven't you. That's all I mean, no disrespect, none, that's all I'm saying. Staying in the NBA, where, according to ESPN Shan Sharania, the Sacrament of Kings expected to open talks for a potential the Aaron Fox trade. The King's all star guard has one year left on his contract before he hits
free agency in the summer of twenty twenty six. San Antonio Spurs are apparently the top destination on his list as a potential landing spot. I wish he could go to the Lakers personally, I know Anthony Davis wants a five so he can go back to his natural position at the four. The Aaron Fox has average at least twenty five points over the last three years. He's an All Star. He's an All Star caliber player. He's also the only individual that I've ever gotten into an argument
with Magic Johnson about in twenty five years. The Aaron Fox is that dude. I implored Magic Johnson to draft that kid number two overall instead of Lonzo Ball. I said, Lonzo Ball is a business decision. De Amon Fox is a basketball decision. I saw what that brother did in the NCAA tournament to Lonzo. I saw that he was a better player than Lonzo. I think, you got to keep that kid, you got to get him. And they passed because Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills, Box Office, all of that.
No knock against Lonzo because I hope he gets healthy, and I believe in the brother. But de Aaron Fox is Diaron Fox. However, his wife and what I'm told is from San Antonio obviously playing with Victim when Mionna the best defensive player in the NBA as far as I'm concerned right now and will soon be the best player in the world at seven five, with his skill set, who knows what's down the pipe for them? They've got it like nine picks. You get de Aaron Fox when
Vianna could be special. So I understand that Houston, Miami, New Orleans, other teams like that are in the mix. I wouldn't mind seeing the Aaron Fox in Miami either. But in the end, what it really really comes down to is that I really wish he was with Anthony Davison. Lebron James in Los Angeles ain't gonna happen at all likely so they don't have the assets to get them, but it would be nice. Let's go to some tweets before I get on out of here for the day.
First up, Stevin A. Smith. How legendary with a battle between Obama and Trump?
Be?
Oh? I think it would be legendary because I think that Trump would try his insults and Obama is quick with it, enough, stylish enough, with enough charisma, he'd come right back at him, and he'd eat Trump alive. I'm talking about in that category as it pertains to debates, Lebron.
You know, Obama smooths and even though it didn't come across as him being a centrist, because obviously you had the progressive left pulling them and tugging towards him to be in their direction and the Republicans were giving him problems every time he took a deep breath. In the end, I think that Obama is somebody that would be willing to work across the all if you allow them to do so. And the statesmanship Trump doesn't even compe in that regard. But some would argue that Trump was a
better president than Obama was. Most of us would not, but it would be an epic battle for the debates. I could tell you that much. Next tweet, show me what you got, y'all at Jennifer McGraw, McGr aw right, Stephen A. Smith, what is an underrated thing I can do as a girlfriend to make my boyfriend happy? Okay, there is an R rated answer to that question that you are not going to get from me. Figure it out as it pertains to the G rated version of my answer. I would say to you, master the art
of timing. It could be anything from sex to a meal, to cuddling while watching a movie on television, to go into the movies, to going out to eat, to just talk and conversation. I would tell you mastering timing is everything. See some ignorant ass men out there would be like, just be quiet, don't talk your man will love you. But those are boys that say that men don't mind conversation. We mind when it arrives at the wrong time. There are times we're willing to listen, and there are times
that we don't want to hear anything. There are times that we don't want to hear anything because we're annoyed and stressed from the job or the outside world. There are times that we're stressed because of you and we don't want to hear anything. There are other times that we don't want to hear anything because we got other things on our mind that we'd like to do with you, and talk it ain't one of them. So all of
those things play a role. But when you master the person that you're with and timing that comes with how you interact with them, that goes a long way. Put it you this way, ladies, if you had a man, assuming you have a man in your life, because we're gonna go you know, I'm just gonna say that, and you wanted them at ten o'clock, is eleven o'clock good enough? Is mid night good enough? I mean, you'll settle for it.
But what you want is what you want when you want it, And when he responds in a timely manner. That goes a long way, because he's feeding you when you're hungry, not when you're okay or full, and that has more value. Look at it that way. One more tweet. Let's go to it. Please at Jimmy John's right, Steven A. Smith, could you date someone who happens to be a loud and messy eiter? No, I'm loud enough. Two of us don't need to be loud. That's number one. Number two,
I don't like messy. Two of us don't need to be messy. I'm a little messy. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a slob. I'm not slovenly. I believe in carrying myself with some level of distinction and what have you. I believe in doing what I do in that regard. But I would tell you that I don't like a messy woman. I like a woman who's top na choose a bit vain, who cares about appearances, how she looks, how she conducts herself, how she carries herself, his mind
full and cognizant of her surroundings, and acts accordingly. Could you imagine being out to dinner with company and your girl is eating like this, What the hell is that? Nobody want that? You don't want that from your man. She could eat like that by herself around you. It's a little bit more decorum in the face of company. In the presence of company, you want class beside off. You don't want nobody looking at your woman like she just love. You don't want messy associated with your woman.
And you damn sure don't want loud. She don't know how to exercise class and decorum. She got to be all loud and boisterous and all of that stuff. You as a man, you got to be all loud and boisterous yourself when you with your woman around company. Not Ain't nobody want that. You want somebody that's mellowed, that understands the moment and what it calls for and what it doesn't call for. That's the difference between a girl
and a lady and a boy and a man. That is my answer to your question, and it's the right one. I'm out, y'all until next time. This is Stephen A. Smith signing off. Thanks again to the one and only Kenya Barras and of course Drewski coming on the show. Blessing us with their presence really really appreciated. Thank you so much. I'll talk to y'all a couple of days. Until then, Peace of love,