Stephen A FIRES BACK at Draymond “You Got it ALL WRONG!”

As I keep telling y'all, contrary to what people may believe, most times I don't say anything. I think it's somebody speaking on some podcast that actually called me a cornball. That's the first time I've ever been called that in my life. I'm not going to respond to that person. Knock yourself out. Say what you got to say. I can give less than a damn. I wish you nothing but luck with the best of luck in your future career endeavors. Whatever. Draymond Green is a slightly different matter. got respect for this man. Four-time champion, future Hall of Famer, former defensive player of the year. Um, but occasionally says some things that I just don't agree with. Um, that would not necessarily be the case with this one, but it is what it is. He he went on this podcast and he was talking about didn't say us brightly by names or anything, but on first take my day job on ESPN every weekday morning from 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time. We were discussing former GM for the Dallas Mavericks, Nico Harrison, who had lost his job and essentially lamenting how things transpired. He did a good job with the Dallas Mavericks, but the trade um for Luca Donuch to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first round pick may go down as one of the worst deals in NBA history. And Draymond took umbrage to that on his podcast because he was talking about the absence of accountability. people could just give these takes, don't have the slightest idea what they're talking about, blah blah blah blah blah. And we would dog in Nico one minute, then we dog in uh Luca, well, which one is it? And all of this other stuff. I personally didn't know what the hell he was talking about. But nevertheless, his willingness to point the finger at the media is something that I challenged. How come we can't look at something and say, "Yo, that ain't going to work." If Luca Dantes is a 26-y old basketball global iconic figure, why would you trade him in his prime knowing he didn't want to leave Dallas for a dude that was injuryprone and wasn't going to deliver for you what Luca can deliver for you? That wasn't the only thing that people like myself and others said. We said more, but obviously Draymond had an issue with that. So, we responded to what Draymond had to say. And because we responded, Draymond, I don't want to call it a tirade or anything like that. He's just speaking his mind. And um he had this to say apparently in response to whatever it was that I said. Listen to Draymond Green talking right now about just his perspective on the whole Nico Harrison thing and the media and Luca Donuch and all that. Take a listen. >> He's very wrong. I think Draymond is being incredibly unfair. unfair to who? The media. I'm not being unfair, but when is the media ever fair? So to call for fairness in a world where they're extremely unfair kind of pop calling a kettle black. Getting back to his quote, the reality of the situation is Draymond is saying that because he's fond of Nico Harris. Stephen A kind of got fond of Jerry Jones and changed his whole tune when it comes to talking about Jerry. But I also see you criticize the Dallas Cowboys. So I don't understand why I can't have a fine sort relationship somewhere to make a fair assessment. There's another double standard in this which was egregious and forever staining him so much so that it is highly unlikely he will ever get a job as a basketball executive in the NBA again. Probably right but the problem that I have is we're calling for all this accountability but all these guys just get to say things and there's zero accountability but always want to hold others accountable. Everyone wanted to hold him accountable. Those same very people get to come out as now crush Luca Donis. So we're just crushing everyone that's doing something because initially it was Na about Luca. Now we're destroying Luca. But you people crushed him for him. Now you crush him. And how long does everyone just get to throw at a wall and see if it sticks and be called experts? That was my take. I don't know what the hell Draymond Green is talking about. I I I I will Let me say this. First of all, I'm very disappointed because like most others, I thought that Draymond Green when he had the opportunity watched first take. Clearly, he's not doing that because to say that I'm friends with Jerry Jones and I don't criticize Jerry Jones, Draymond doesn't have enough time in a day for the footage I could send him to watch the footage that I could send him with me criticizing Jerry Jones to his face behind his back at the Star in Dallas on television. at events or whatever. Everybody knows I got a love for Jerry Jones. I appreciate him. I thought he was wrong about Micah. I told him. I thought he was too late to the party with Quinnon Williams. I told him. I told him that the playing the bully pull pit, negotiating with a 25year-old linebacker acting like he's an agent instead of talking to his representation was wrong. It was egregious and IT WAS INSULTING. I SAID THAT TO HIS FACE ON CAMERA, OFF CAMERA, EVERYWHERE. He would TELL YOU THAT THERE ISN'T A DAMN THING THAT I HAVE EVER SAID ABOUT JERRY JONES ON THE AIRWAVES THAT I HAVEN'T SAID TO HIS FACE. HE WOULD TELL YOU THAT. But we're men. So he understands the difference between me disagreeing with what he does and trying to castigate him for who he is. That's the difference. I'm showing the same COURTESY TO DRAYMOND RIGHT NOW. DRAYMOND, I DISAGREE with you. I think with this particular take about Luca and NICO HARRISON, YOU got it all wrong. My respect for you doesn't diminish one centilla. Still mad respect and love for you. I JUST THINK YOU'RE WRONG. THAT'S IT. LET ME TELL YOU WHY I THINK YOU'RE WRONG. BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT LISTENING. You're hearing what you want to hear. You're not listening. What do we do with Nico Harrison? I did not say nobody. I didn't say he deserves to lose his job. I didn't say he should be fired. I did not say he should never get a job in basketball again. I said those are the likely results of that action. As you contended in your diet tribe, I'm right. Nico Harrison is no longer employed as the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks. Kyrie getting Kyrie Irving was a good thing. GETTING DANIEL GAFFFORD WAS A GOOD THING. GETTING PJ WASHINGTON was a GOOD THING. HAVING JASON KIDD AS HIS COACH IS A good thing. THEM GOING TO THE FINALS THE YEAR BEFORE WAS A GOOD THING. NICO HARRISON DID A DAMN GOOD JOB until that trade. And why was the trade considered so egregious? It wasn't just because of the posity or the scarcity of the assets you got in return for a guy who was a 25-year-old basketball global iconic figure who could pay for himself BECAUSE OF THE MONEY HE GENERATED FOR THE FRANCHISE WORLDWIDE. But it was because Nico said he only talked to one team, the Lakers. Why would you do that? THE ORLANDO MAGIC got numerous PICKS OR GAVE up numerous picks to Memphis for Desmond Bane, who's a good player by the way. THE NEW YORK KNICKS GAVE UP FIVE PICKS, FOUR UNPROTECTED FIRST ROUND PICKS FOR MUEL BRIDGES, WHO HAS NEVER BEEN AN ALL-STAR. Good player though. How does the Knicks LOSE FOUR FIRST ROUND PICKS AND ORLANDO GIVES UP MULTIPLE first round picks for Desmond Bane? But you get one first round pick along with an Anthony Davis who's six years older than Luca Donuch. How for Luca Don for Luca Donuch? How? how people ask that question. DRAYMOND GREEN IS A FOUR-TIME CHAMPION. Draymond Green is a FUTURE HALL OF FAMER. DRAYMOND GREEN IS AN ELITE PLAYMAKER. NOBODY COULD PLAY ALONGSIDE Steph Curry better than him outside of Klay Thompson. Okay. IF THEY TRADED YOU TO A TEAM FOR A BAG OF CHIPS, SHOULD WE NOT SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THAT? SUPPOSED TO KEEP THAT TO OURSELVES. SUPPOSED TO JUST ACT LIKE, "OH MY GOD, WE'RE COVERING THE GAME OF BASKETBALL. WE'RE JUST THROWING UP AGAINST THE WALL." HOW? HOW? HOW? YOU'RE DRAYMOND. YOU HAVE VALUE. YOU DON'T TRADE YOU FOR A BAG OF CHIPS. AND ANTHONY DAVIS WASN'T A BAG OF CHIPS. HE WAS A CHAMPION WHO CAN PUT UP 28 AND 12 WHENEVER HEALTHY. THE PROBLEM WAS HE WAS REALLY HEALTHY. AND THAT'S LUCA WHO'S SIX YEARS YOUNGER AND ALREADY A STAR THAT AVERAGES OVER 30 IN A POSTSEASON AND 28 IN HIS SLEEP ON A REGULAR SEASON NIGHT. WHO IS BOX OFFICE WHICH ANTHONY Davis is not great player not box office. What is what's WHAT'S WHAT'S THE ROCKET SCIENCE TO IT? WHAT'S THE THROWING THIS AGAINST THE WALL? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? And then I love the line when it's talking about the media and no accountability. Well, what accountability would you like us to have? If Jayon Green is calling us out, isn't that accountability? If somebody is going the hell off because of what I said about the New Orleans Pelicans and wants to call me a cornball and wants to be juvenile and childish and go get engage in name calling and all of that other stuff and I I say that that's accountability. I'm taking it a note. People got critiques and insults every day. I take it all the time and it amazes me how so many ATHLETES ARE SO BRAVE WITH THEIR PODCAST. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I religiously said, even in the position that I'm sitting in, name the time and place and I'll show up for whatever it is that I say. WHY DO YOU THINK I SHOW UP ON THESE PODCAST? BECAUSE I'M BEING ACCOUNTABLE. I'M RIGHT HERE. This is what I SAID. WHY I SAID IT IS WHY I said it. Boom. Let's go. Who's lacking accountability? Who? Draymond Green alluded to who people WHO WHO HAVEN'T DONE IT who haven't done it. So if you hadn't played, you shouldn't be covering the sport. So do the fans have a right to feel the way that they feel when they're the paying customer watching and paying to watch you play? Does the media who get paid to chronicle what you do, do they have a say? Draymond, you don't know that it's the media that goes into the locker rooms, that it's the media that have people phone numbers, that it's the media that talks to the coaches and the executives and the owners, and they get perspective before they put stuff out there because that's their job. And you might sit up there and say, "Hey, well, you know what I mean? They they got sources, sources, sources." Well, people covering the White House got sources. People covering Capitol Hill got sources. People covering Wall Street got sources. There's sources all over the place. Why? Because if people come out on front street and admit it's them and they attach their name to it, most of the times you ain't going to get the right information from them because they don't want to be incriminated. If anything, that's an absence account of accountability. What are you talking about? Respect to Draymond. We just disagree with this perspective. Did you know, Draymond, that there are coaches who have coached in the league that never played on y'all level? Do you need their names? Everybody ain't Steve Kerr now. Who won three rings with the with the Bulls and another two with the San Antonio Spurs? Everybody ain't Steve Kerr. Everybody ain't Phil Jackson who played with the Knicks. There's plenty of coaches that coach in that coach in the NBA that never played on that level. They don't have a right to be there. THERE ARE EXECUTIVES WHO DIDN'T PLAY. They don't have a right TO BE THERE. THERE'S OWNERS CUTTING THE CHECKS AND TELLING YOU WHAT MOVES THEY WANT MADE. THEY DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO BE THERE. What are you talking about? Accountability media. What about the new media, Draymond? How accountable is it when cats are sitting up there talking amongst one anothers and the cats that got some information that you might have a problem with that's out there and reporting on stuff? They said, "Yo, I'll show up. What you want?" Ain't nobody backing up from what they say. If I'm wrong, I'll say I'm wrong. If I was cruel about something and I reflect on it, I apologize. All of us are flawed in the eyes of God. None of us are perfect and we'll all be better. But at the end of the day, we got to get away from this notion that, yo, you didn't do you didn't play on this level. You didn't do this. You didn't. So, you don't have a right. Bump all of that. I have a job. My job is to cover sports, which I think I've done a pretty damn good job of doing for over three decades. over three decades. And on this level, I will speak for myself. When I have just an opinion, I tell you it's just an opinion. When I get facts, I'll tell you this was given to me. I ain't going to always tell you who because you protect sources. But we ain't going to act like I don't have sources. As I've said on many occasions, basketball is your lane. Be careful, Draymond, because last time I checked, you have a podcast and you're not going to just talk about basketball. You're a smart brother and you got an opinion about a lot of things and it and it extends far beyond the barriers of basketball. So, when you open your mouth, GUESS WHAT? THERE'S going to be a strong level of credibility coming from it. And it's going to BE ABOUT STUFF THAT AIN'T GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH BASKETBALL. WHY? CUZ YOU'RE DRAYMOND. And you've earned the right to do that. And you're intelligent enough to speak on other issues that extend beyond basketball. YOU WANT SOMEBODY saying you don't have a right to talk about it cuz you didn't do it. Think, bro. Think. This is me for everybody out there simply disagreeing with Draymond's take. Don't have anything to do with the profound respect and love I have for the brother. We just disagree on this take. That's what being a grownup is all about. Unlike some of y'all out there that's engaging in name calling and calling brothers corn balls and other things and all this other nonsense just because you didn't like their take. Grow the up. You all got a job to do. Y'all continue to do yours. I'm going to do mine. Draymond, we disagree on this particular take, bro. That's all. Still got love for you. still think you do a hell of a job with your podcast. Still wishing you nothing but the best. Oh, by the way, one of those people that you used to attach such cynicism to was my man Skip Bless. If I recall last year, you said he was irrelevant and it was over. Just a couple weeks ago, you had him on your podcast. Did a damn good job talking to him and interviewing him, too. And he did a damn good job answering your questions. See where a conversation can get you. It can change minds and hearts, even yours. And I'll leave it at that. AA Mad Dog 6 is always the number to call up. That's us 8886233646. You're listening live to the Stephen A. Smith Show, SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio. THE ONE AND ONLY BRUCE PEARL, college basketball coach extraordinaire. He's on the line with us next. Don't go away. It's Stephen A in the house. Holla.

Stephen A. Smith responds to Draymond Green after the Warriors star criticized the media over the Luka Dončić trade and the Nico Harrison debate. Stephen A explains why he believes the trade made no sense and pushes back on Draymond’s comments about accountability in sports media. https://sxm.app.link/YouTubeSAS Connect with me on social media: Twitter: https://x.com/stephenasmith Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenasmith/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephenasmith Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephena/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-a-smith-763b31194/