"I was wrong" - Stephen A. Smith apologizes for Kyrie Irving slander after Kenny Smith's reality check to ESPN analyst
Stephen A. Smith has publicly apologized to Kyrie Irving for all the things he said about the Dallas Mavericks star a few years back. Smith was very critical of Irving during his time with the Brooklyn Nets because he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine and also shared an anti-Semitic film.
In the latest episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show," the eccentric ESPN analyst shared that TNT's Kenny Smith spoke to him privately about Irving. Kenny gave Stephen A. a reality check, considering most of Irving's mentors were also their mentors coming from New York City.
"I feel the way that I feel because I pride myself in being man enough to acknowledge when I'm wrong. If I think I'm wrong because, I think it's rare, but I was wrong, and for Kenny Smith to tell me that, it hit home in a big way because we go back more than 30 years.
"I can count on two fingers how many times he's thought I was wrong and so his friendship, his brotherhood means a lot to me. But it also reminded me of the brotherhood of all of those that mentored me and have been there for Kyrie," Stephen A. said. [7:54 onwards]
Kyrie Irving endured a lot of criticism, not just from Stephen A. Smith but from a lot of people, when he decided to not get the COVID-19 vaccine. Irving exacerbated things when he promoted a film that was deemed anti-Semitic, which resulted in his suspension.
Irving's disappointing stint with the Brooklyn ended last year when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. However, the Mavs failed to make the postseason, and there was plenty of criticism toward Irving again for failing to make it work with Luka Doncic.
Fast forward to the present, Irving and the Mavericks are one win away from the NBA Finals. They will look close out the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at the Target Center in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, having led the series 3-0.
Kyrie Irving proving his doubters wrong in first full season in Dallas
Kyrie Irving has had a chip on his shoulder ever since he demanded a trade away from LeBron James.
Irving failed to carry the Boston Celtics to a title, and it was even worse during his time with the Brooklyn Nets. It looked like it was heading to another failure in Dallas, but Irving has been proving his doubters wrong in this year's playoffs.
Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks are one win away from the franchise's third NBA Finals appearance. It was night and day from what happened last season when the Mavs failed to make the postseason. The front office made some moves at the trade deadline, and it has helped the team turn it around in the second half of the season.
The result? Beating the No. 4 seed LA Clippers in the first round followed by outlasting the top-seeded OKC Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. Now, they are about to knock out the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves, who dethroned the defending champions Denver Nuggets.