Stephen A. Smith believes Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving would have no defense if Fox News’s Laura Inghram told him to “shut up and dribble.”

Ingraham initially directed her “shut up and dribble” comments at basketball superstar LeBron James in February 2018. James criticized then-President Donald Trump and said that Trump “didn’t give a fuck about the people.”

Irving had been the headliner of the sports world over the last week after he shared a clip on Twitter from a film called “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.” The film contains many anti-Semitic tropes.

Irving went back and forth with ESPN reporter Nick Friedell, claiming he did not promote the film. Irving then faced protests from a group of Nets fans who sat courtside Monday night and wore shirts that read “Fight Anti-Semitism.” Irving and the Nets released a joint statement on Wednesday in which both parties would donate $500,000 each to local organizations that combat hate. Irving did not apologize in the statement, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver pointed out, in a statement, the “reckless” actions Irving took and the lack of apology.

Thursday afternoon, Irving had his chance to apologize in front of the media after practice but failed to do so. Thursday night, the Nets organization suspended Irving for five games without pay because of the no apology. Hours after the announced suspension, Irving finally apologized through an Instagram post.

Friday morning, Smith was on First Take to discuss the latest news of Irving’s suspension. Smith brought up Inghram’s 2018 comments about James.

“Laura Ingraham once insulted, insulted LeBron James and black folks everywhere when she gave the impression that even somebody, the magnitude of LeBron James, whose brilliance cannot be denied, and whose responsible behavior can’t be denied. That he was a person who should shut up and dribble,” Smith said. “We all said in our world, ‘what’s wrong with this woman? How dare you say that about him of all people.’ And the world galvanized around it because we knew he was never worthy of such an insult.”

Smith pivoted and played the hypothetical game of imagining she said that today about Irving.

“If she said that today about Kyrie Irving, who’s going to deny her?” Smith added. “Hypothetically, if she said that about Kyrie Irving, you could not have anybody that would stand up right now and say, ‘wait a minute, who is she to say that about Kyrie Irving’ it would not do that.

First Take host Molly Qerim quickly stopped Smith to give him a chance to clarify what he tried to say.

“I want to make sure we’re clear,” Qerim added. “So you’re saying if right at this moment, she had said ‘just to shut up and dribble’ or ‘shut up and play’ that people would be okay with it right now? Let’s be real clear because you know how this is gonna get picked up.”

Smith immediately shot down Qerim’s question, and it made clear the point he tried to make.

“I am being real clear; I am being real clear,” Smith answered.

Smith elaborated that Irving’s stubbornness would drive him crazy and that he could not defend his comments, but Ingraham would be wrong to utter, “shut up and dribble” at Irving.

“What I’m saying is for him, she would still be wrong. The problem is because of the position he put himself in, he wouldn’t be in a position to defend himself, and that is something that would kill him,” Smith added. “Because he is the kind of person that is willing to double down and to be defiant, and that’s why I’m sad for him.”

Smith believed Irving’s intelligence went beyond conspiracies and was very smart.

“He is smart; he’s not stupid,” Smith continued. “He might’ve done things that are not the wisest thing in the world, but he’s highly intelligent; he is not stupid. It’s just that he has this insatiable appetite for his point of view to be heard.”

Smith believed it would be wrong for Ingraham to make the “shut up and dribble” comments, but Irving only had himself to blame for putting himself in that situation.

“Of course, that would be insulting, incredibly insulting to them,” Smith said. “But on a day like today, because of the conversation that we’re having, that’s the position he put himself in, which is the last thing Kyrie Irving would ever want to do, ever! But that’s the position he put himself in. That’s what I’m saying!”

Smith doubled his hatred for Ingraham’s comments and did not want to hear her say that again.

“Hell no, they weren’t right; they were dead wrong,” Smith continued. “And I called out on it, and I will forever.”

Watch above via ESPN.

The post Stephen A. Smith Brings Up Laura Ingraham Telling LeBron to ‘Shut Up and Dribble,’ Says Kyrie Irving Would Have No Defense to That first appeared on Mediaite.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/7A9gXuI