Stephen A. Smith screams at Stephen Jackson for calling him a ‘snitch’ (video)

Jackson took offense that Smith called the league office to demand to know why a player was not suspended

By Terry Shropshire
May 05, 2024
10:40 am

Stephen A. Smith went volcanic after former NBA player Stephen Jackson renounced him as “a snitch,” and completely disavowed him as a person.

Smith, the host of ESPN’s popular morning sports talk show “First Take,” was outraged that Jackson would assign him one of the greatest insults that can be hurled at a person without knowing the facts in totality.

Jackson took great umbrage that Smith called the NBA league office in New York to demand to know why Russell Westbrook was not suspended for several physical encounters during his Clippers game versus the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs eventually won the series, 4-2.

Both Jackson and his “All the Smoke” podcast co-host Matt Barnes, another former NBA player, took offense that Smith took the extra step to contact the league’s New York office. But Jackson went further than Barnes when he said wants nothing more to do with a “snitch,” referring to Smith.

“You don’t work for the league!” Jackson roared into the camera. “Who, what makes you think you have the power to call and get someone suspended? So you opening more doors for the times you went on T.V. and you spoke bad about me and other players, you called and put your vote in to get people suspended? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Star player, someone like Russ who has taken so much bulls—- from the media, to begin with, and he has gone from superstar to the hole plugger,” Barnes added on the podcast. “Stephen A. is our brother and this is why this era is so dope in media, he was able to say it and let that s— ride. And nobody could say nothing to him, because nobody had platforms.”

Smith received a lot of backlash, mostly from Jackson, and Smith finally returned fire on his eponymous podcast.