Molly Qerim sounds off after Stephen A. Smith embarrasses her on air for eating during commercials: “Grown woman”
For years now, Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim have worked alongside each other on "First Take." Despite having a good relationship as co-hosts, the two had a little back and forth during Tuesday's episode.
On Tuesday morning, NBA insider Brian Windhorst was brought on as a guest to talk about the NBA Finals. While Stephen A. Smith was talking to him about Luka Doncic, he took a jab at his co-host. He brought up how Qerim likes to eat while the show is on commercial breaks.
Qerim did not take this lying down and decided to clap back at Stephen A. As he continued his rant, she cut him off to say that she was proud of how she was.
"Grown woman," Querim said. "Proud of it. Not a little girl."
Qerim has been a part of First Take for nearly a decade now. She got her start with ESPN back in 2006 and was there for four years. Qerim then left to work for CBS Sports briefly before eventually coming back to ESPN. Upon her return in 2015, she was given the role of anchor on the network's top debate show.
Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Kyrie Irving's NBA Finals performance
Stephen A. Smith did dig into the NBA Finals on Tuesday's episode of "First Take." One player he did not hold back on was Kyrie Irving.
Irving had a bit of a redemption season with the Dallas Mavericks, thriving alongside Luka Doncic during this run. He was a player many were zeroing in on as they prepared for the Boston Celtics as he'd be facing his former team.
Following Game 5, Stephen A. Smith blasted Irving for how he played in Boston. He credited how the All-Star guard played in home games but felt he was a no-show on the road.
"Strictly about basketball, his performances in the three games in Boston was horrid," Stephen A. said. "Horrid for his standards. He was a no show."
Irving was one of the Mavericks' top players all postseason but struggled in the NBA Finals. In his three road games, he never scored more than 16 points. Game 1 was perhaps Irving's worst of the playoffs, with 12 points on 6-for-19 shooting. He followed up with 16 points in Game 2 and 15 in the series finale.
Heading into this matchup, many agreed that the Celtics had more firepower. If the Mavericks had any chance to keep pace, they needed big outings from both their stars. Irving was capable of doing that at home, but his play on the road was a key factor in their downfall.