"It's a damn shame" - Stephen A. Smith takes a swipe at Knicks' title drought with comical WWE belt antics
The New York Knicks haven’t claimed an NBA championship since 1973, which made Stephen A. Smith’s mockingly emotional response to receiving a WWE legacy belt featuring the Knicks logo all the more fitting. He humorously pointed out that, while he had a legacy belt, he still lacked a genuine Knicks championship.
Stephen A. Smith, born on October 14, 1967, was alive during the Knicks' two championship years in 1970 and 1973, but he was only three and six years old at the time.
Upon receiving the legacy belt, as seen in a post on the WWE X (formerly Twitter) account, Smith feigned emotion and remarked:
“It’s a damn shame a belt gotta be made up for them instead of them earning it.”
WWE legacy belts are a series of championship replicas that honor the history and achievements of various sports teams.
They include collegiate legacy title belts, which celebrate college sports, team-specific legacy belts, like the Knicks belt given to Stephen A. Smith, and signature series belts, which feature replicas of championship belts worn by famous WWE wrestlers.
According to ESPN BET, the Knicks are projected to win 53.5 games this season. They finished with a 50-32 record last season, which was the second-best in the Eastern Conference. The reigning champion Boston Celtics have the highest projected win total for next season at 58.5, after leading the league with 64 wins last season.
Despite the increased competition in the Eastern Conference, Smith remains optimistic about the Knicks’ prospects.
“We’re trying to come. We know the Greek Freak is around. We know Tatum and Brown and them in Boston. We saw Paul George go to Philadelphia. We don’t care. The Knicks are coming.”
What Stephen A. Smith said he would do if the Knicks won a championship
When asked last season about what he would do if the Knicks won a championship, Stephen A. Smith responded in typical Stephen A. style:
“I’d get on my knees and cry and pray at the same time and thank the Heavenly Father that this happened before I died.”
The Knicks have been active this offseason, trading for Mikal Bridges and securing OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson on long-term deals. They’ve also added Keita Bates-Diop, Chuma Okeke and Cameron Payne.
They also signed head coach Tom Thibodeau, who guided the Knicks to the playoffs in three of his first four seasons in New York, to an extension that pays him $10 million annually.
With high expectations following these moves and last season’s near miss of the Eastern Conference finals due to injuries, the Knicks are anticipated to perform strongly in their first full season with Anunoby and Bridges.