Stephen A. Smith laments labeling Kwame Brown a 'Bonafide Scrub'
Stephen A. Smith is known for his hot takes on sports but there is one thing he regrets saying and it was about Kwame Brown.
Appearing on Paul George's Podcast P, Smith recently reflected on his old statement that he thought stuck with Brown for the rest of his career.
"Kwame Brown, I know what I said. I did mean it and I ain't gonna sit here and tell you I ain't mean this s**t. I said but I didn't know it was gonna be like this. I didn't know that - remember I said it before Twitter, Facebook. I didn''t know that 20 years later, 15 latest, they would have memes and videos," said Smith.
The comments by Smith echoed in the basketball community, especially with the Lakers fans. Looking back, Smith regrets uttering those words about Brown, knowing how hurt the latter was.
"I didn't know y'all. I really, really didn't, man. And when I see what he says, I realize how hurt he is and no matter what he said, no matter the bravado, I know you don't do stuff like he does from time to time and talk about people unless you hurt," Smth said.
"There's no way and so I just said like, 'Damn.' If I had to do that all over again, I would have just, you know," he added. "I mean it was a sound byte, they just had traded Paul Gasol and they asked me this question and I'm like what, 'Yeah.' You know and I was I mean I'm talking like I'm talking to y'all."
WATCH: Stephen A. Smith's full interview with Paul George
What exactly did Stephen A. Smith say about Kwame Brown?
For those who want a refresher on where the beef between Kwame Brown and Stephen A. Smith started, it was during the trade of Paul Gasol to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008.
At the time, Brown was packaged with Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and the draft rights to Marc Gasol to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Hall of Famer Pau Gasol. The trade was dubbed 'the worst' in NBA history.
When interviewed on what he thinks about the trade, Smith zeroed in on Brown and Los Angeles should be celebrating that the forward is not part of the Lakers anymore.
"It's Kwame Brown, who cares? Kwame Brown is gone. The city of angels, you should be celebrating. Throw a parade already whether you win a championship or not. This man was a bonafide scrub. He can't play, no disrespect whatsoever, but I'm sorry to tell everybody the truth," Smith said.
After spending one year with Memphis, Brown bounced from the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers before ending his 12-year career in the NBA.