Stephen A's Take: Isiah Thomas rips LeBron James for warming up shirtless. - podcast episode cover

Stephen A's Take: Isiah Thomas rips LeBron James for warming up shirtless.

Apr 15, 20256 min
--:--
--:--
Download Metacast podcast app
Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episode description

Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.

Support the show: http://www.youtube.com/@stephenasmith

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Speaker 1

Let's stay in the NBA for a quick topic that raised a few eyebrows this weekend. That's because Hall of Famer Isaiah Thomas called out the one and only Lebron James himself for being quote unprofessional end quote, for wearing no shirt during early shooterun on Friday. This is what Isaiah Thomas had to say about Lebron while NBATV role the warm up video. Y'all gotta see this, Take a look at this. I just totally one hundred percent object

to this. If I was a GM or coach, I would never let one of my players walk out on the floor looking like this. The professionalism in our NBA league is the minute so much. I like Lebron, but to walk out on the floor before a game with no shirt on and shoot, I mean, come on, man, where are we at?

Speaker 2

What we doing?

Speaker 1

Adam Silver, if you want to find somebody find that, put a fine on that end quote. Isaiah Thomas is one hundred percent right. It's just a bad example to use because you see, contrary to what some of you trolls out there want to instigate and fabricate and start up.

Speaker 2

When it's talking about Steven A.

Speaker 1

Smith and Lebron I told y'all, I'm gonna always be fair. I'm going to do my job regardless of how we feel about each other.

Speaker 2

I'm going to do my job.

Speaker 1

Lebron James is not the greatest example to use because ninety nine percent of the time the brother epitomizes professionalism. Lebron James is usually dressed up. Lebron James carries the mantle and conducts himself with the proper level of decorum and professionalism. Media interviews, post games, availability, stuff like that. Lebron James shows up big events representing the NBA brand.

Speaker 2

It's Lebron James you lean on.

Speaker 1

So to mention a word unprofessionalism and him with a broad brush would be incredibly unfair.

Speaker 2

But if you're.

Speaker 1

Isolating an incident which Isaiah Thomas dead.

Speaker 2

Then it's more than fair.

Speaker 1

And the reason why it's more than fair is because you're thinking about what's going on in a moment. You're a man out there with no uniform, no T shirt on in a professional environment. You're not in a closed door practice. You're out at the arena where fans have already been allowed to enter the arena. It is a professional environment, but Most importantly, it's about who this critique

is coming from, y'all. Do understand at that champion that is Isaiah Thomas was also the president of the Players Association for years, right? Did y'all know that when it came to diversity in the sport covering the NBA, that one of the biggest people who spearheaded that movement was Isaiah Thomas who brought it up and made it an

issue during collective bargaining negotiations in the eighties. Did you know that because he did it, so people like me and Michael Wilbon and various others who had been blessed and fortunate enough to cover.

Speaker 2

The NBA for years, including women.

Speaker 1

By the way, Isaiah Thomas was one of the people who spearheaded that movement. And when they talk about the level of professionalism law before David Stern in the aftermath of the brawl at the Palace in Auburn Hills in two thousand and four, so implemented a dress code law.

Speaker 2

Before that, it was Isaiah Thomas.

Speaker 1

Who was a leader amongst many the Michael Joy of the world, the allowance on mornings of the world, the shack Deesel go back and look at the footage. Did you see how they came to a game? Did you see how they were dressed? Do y'all know who the most popular coaches were at that time?

Speaker 2

Pat Raley, remember how he dressed?

Speaker 1

Chuck Day Daddy Rich as my man John Sally would call him.

Speaker 2

Remember how he dressed.

Speaker 1

Everybody would would would bow to the altar of Chuck Daly, God rest the soul.

Speaker 2

Larry Brown helped upgrade my wardrobe. I'll tell y' all that story one day. If I haven't already, remember how coaches were dressed. You ain't see coach dressed. Coaches dressed in warm up suits and sneakers.

Speaker 1

There's a level of professionalism that came associated with the sport. And Isaiah Thomas didn't escape mentioned in that as well. When somebody, like whether it was Jalen Rose or whatever else, was on the set with him and when they said, yo, what about the coaches, Isaiah said them too. So he's talking about a professionalism and a standard that has been ignored.

Now in terms of the media, I think it's safe to say that if anybody had the right to speak on this issue, it would be made In case y'all didn't notice your brother dresses quite nicely. Matter of fact, I gotta talk to my damn nephew Josh and how he been dressing. He gotta upgrade his wardrobe because there's a standard that comes across associated with your boy, Stephen.

Speaker 2

They you don't believe me as first take. It ain't no accident.

Speaker 1

I might say it with a smile on my face half jokingly, but I'm also serious. Oh you're gonna dress on first take. You ain't gonna just show up dressed in the old kind of way. He ain't going down like that. Professionalism matters. This was a rare moment when we can look at a lebron and somebody like Isaiah Thomas whatever dream out of the word unprofessional when it came to him. But it doesn't mean that particular critique

wasn't appropriate for that one time. It's worth mentioning it plain and simple.

Transcript source: Provided by creator in RSS feed: download file
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast