ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was ridiculed by his First Take replacement on Thursday.
Replacing the 56-year-old Smith was three-time NBA champion and Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem.
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Currently vice president of basketball development for the Heat, Haslem retired from the NBA in 2023 after 20 years with Miami.
He was joined on Thursday’s show by host Molly Qerim, as well as guests Monica McNutt, Kimberley A. Martin and Damien Woody.
During the show, Qerim asked Haslem which fan base he considered to be “the most entitled.”
The 44-year-old wasted no time in highlighting Smith’s beloved New York Knicks.
“They get on my nerves,” Haslem said.
“They think they created everything that has to do with basketball.”
Haslem’s response took everyone by surprise, including Martin, who told him to “Get out!”
“When you go to a game, they haven’t won in a while, but they still fill the stands with actors, producers and movie stars,” he added.
Haslem went on to jokingly imitate Smith entering Madison Square Garden, with Martin comparing Stephen A.’s walk to that of the character George Jefferson from All in the Family.
Smith’s entrances into NBA games have come under heavy scrutiny lately, particularly from Qerim and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
Usually dressed in a sharp suit and sunglasses, Smith’s slow arrivals to arenas have been frequently filmed by ESPN this season, sparking jokes on social media.
Haslem’s selection of the Knicks was divisive among viewers of X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Man Knicks fans are so delusional,” said one fan.
“Hilarious coming from a Miami Heat player…” commented a second.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have the most qualified fan base,” suggested another.
First look at the numbers
First Take has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim over the past year.
ESPN’s weekday debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 — making it the most-watched year in the show’s history.
Its December average of 611,000 represented a 24% annual increase compared to 2022.
The show has also recorded more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
While a fourth wrote: “Knicks fans are like [Dallas] Cowboys fans are very impatient and get excited for no reason.
“Overconfident and overly hyped, and when they win games, it’s always the same stupid phrase: ‘We’re going to win a championship this year,’ stop saying things like that.”
As for Haslem’s co-stars, they also had very different opinions.
“I’m sitting in Stephen A.’s shoes today, so the only appropriate response is, ‘These disgusting, filthy Cowboys fans, they just annoy me!'” Martin said in reference to Smith’s well-known feud with Dallas fans.
Woody went to the Lakers, while McNutt chose the Golden State Warriors.
By comparison, Qerim didn’t pick a single fan base, but highlighted those of the Lakers, USC and New England Patriots.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
