When it comes to hot-take debate shows like First Take or Undisputed, there’s hardly a minimal expectation — at best — of good-faith discussion. Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are where they are today for their ability to frame outlandish statements in argument form and rile up fanbases.
So outside of Bayless’ decades-long disdain for LeBron James, there’s very little consistency across the board with these shows. And with Stephen A., we just saw how quickly he can take a complete turn from an opinion he broadcasted on national television.
It only took a few weeks.
On Wednesday, Smith blasted Durant for his decision to go to Brooklyn and join the Nets. Brooklyn had just lost to Golden State at home, and Smith watched as the Barclays Center crowd chanted “M-V-P” for Steph Curry (all while the Nets’ Kyrie Irving remained MIA due to his refusal to get vaccinated). Smith went on to say that Irving “betrayed” Durant. It was a lot — even for Smith.
"Kevin Durant, I'm sad for you bro. … You have no help. And more importantly than anything else, you made the wrong decision by going to Brooklyn. … KYRIE IRVING BETRAYED YOU!"@stephenasmith LOST IT 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/gjw5tAZVcO
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 17, 2021
But it’s important to remember that Smith had essentially the opposite take about the Nets just a few weeks ago.