"She’s not just some television talent”: Stephen A. Smith revisits Kobe Bryant schooling him about 'matriarch' Oprah Winfrey
Stephen A. Smith recently recalled a conversation he had with Kobe Bryant many years ago, regarding Oprah Winfrey. The way Bryant saw things, Winfrey wasn't just a massive TV personality, she was much more than that.
While speaking on "The Stephen A. Smith Show," Smith remembered joking that people said he could be the male Oprah, but Bryant saw it differently.
Smith recalled:
"Kobe Bryant looked me dead in my face and he said quote 'F**k Oprah, Harpo.'
"Harpo is her name spelled backwards and that's the company she owns, and Kobe, he wasn't saying it to disrespect her, he revered Oprah Winfrey and he was talking about you're disrespecting her by just calling her Oprah.
"You're thinking about her television show you're not thinking about the fact that she owns and operates. Her television show that she employs folks that she leases content that is purchased this is what Oprah Winfrey brings to the table.
"She's not just some television talent or some fantastic interviewer, she is a matriarch, she is a sensational business mind who elevated her brand to such astronomical proportions it pioneered an industry of imitators."
What did Kobe Bryant mean by his comments to Stephen A. Smith?
Kobe Bryant's opening line to Stephen A. Smith could have been viewed as a shot at Oprah Winfrey, but that isn't true. As Smith went on to explain, the whole point of his comment was that Smith shouldn't aim to be a TV personality, he should aim for more.
After a successful TV career, Winfrey's popularity reached new heights when she launched Oprah Winfrey Network in 2011. Between the rise of her own network, and her surging Harpo brand, she transcended TV to become a titan of industry.
(Suggested Reading: Former Celtic takes aim at Antetokounmpos)
Smith further elaborated:
"He was saying I expect you to think better than just yourself as Stephen A Smith for television personality you bigger than that you better than that and that's what the hell I expect from you and that impacted me."
Although Stephen A. Smith may not be on his way to global superstardom and billionaire status, the advice from Kobe Bryant had an impact on him.
(Suggested Reading: The funniest Jimmy Butler incidents)