‘I can take a roast, I don’t know if you can,’ shouts Stephen A. Smith as he takes a brutal NBA Playoffs jab at Shannon Sharpe

ESPN star Stephen A. Smith continued the jokes the morning after Tom Brady’s brutal Netflix roast.

The ESPN star took a jab at Shannon Sharpe during his cold open on Monday’s First Take.

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Sharpe, 55, braced himself for mockery as he brought Brady’s roast when Smith, 56, asked how he was.

“About to roast someone,” the NFL Hall of Famer said.

“Someone gets roasted.”

And then Stephen A. decided to throw the first punch.

“It won’t be me,” the sportscaster said.

“I promise you this.

“And by the way, I can take a roast. I don’t know if you can.

“But here’s what I want America to know now.

“Shannon Sharpe himself has the perfect excuse for not being at the Crypto.com Arena – because there is nothing going on.

“The Lakers are home.”

Smith was referring to the Los Angeles Lakers’ early exit from the NBA playoffs after losing their first-round series with the Denver Nuggets in five games.

Sharpe, a devout Lakers fan, looked away, gasped and shook his head before letting out a laugh as he heard his partner in crime mock the misery of his favorite NBA team again.

Meanwhile, Brady’s roast was sometimes brutal.

Comedians and former NFL teammates laughed at the retired quarterback’s career, appearance and personal life — with most acts featuring digs at his divorce from Gisele Bündchen.

Stephen A. Smith Career Timeline

STEPHEN A. Smith is now the face of ESPN and executive producer of First Take, having initially started working for the company in 2003.

Smith has held numerous roles at the network, including radio show host, contributions to SportsCenter and appearance on NBA Countdown.

He was a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1994 to 2010.

His initial role was as a writer for the NBA before becoming a general sports columnist.

And before that, Smith worked as a reporter at the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News and the New York Daily News.

The seven-time Super Bowler calmly took most of the blows to the jaw.

But it exploded when Roastmaster Jeff Ross brought up New England Patriots owner Rober Kraft’s prostitution accusation in 2019.

“Tom became a Patriot, moved to New England,” Ross said early on.

“And on the first day of training camp, this skinny rookie walked into owner Robert Kraft’s office and said, ‘I’m the best decision your organization has ever made…would you like a massage.'”

Brady then got out of his chair and walked over to Ross to end the joke.

“Don’t say that shit again,” he said in a whisper.