A former NBA champion had a few strong words to say, and he locked his radar on one of the most prominent voices in sports media, Stephen A. Smith.

A video clip of the former Lakers forward Matt Barnes went viral on April 4, where he called out Smith as his immediate response to an on-air rant made by the ESPN presenter about LeBron James.

Barnes also slammed Smith for his comments on Serena Williams. He said, “You’ve been the same man in front of the camera for the last handful of months disrespecting Serena Williams, disrespecting Jasmine Crockett, disrespecting Kamala Harris, and tap dancing for the whole w**** Republican party... but you got an issue with LeBron?" The raw footage quickly found its way to X via @TheNBABase 

A few days ago, James was on a golf course with the "Bob Does Sports" crew. He criticized the Memphis practice facilities, calling them a dungeon, and said he did not want to deal with the city on a random Thursday at 41 years old.

Stephen A. Smith took to First Take to respond to those complaints. He called the star's comments "both fair and foul" during his national broadcast. 

Smith acknowledged the facility problems but felt LeBron’s remarks were tone-deaf, given his huge platform and recent historical promotions. This disagreement over basketball facilities was just the tipping point. Barnes turned this debate into a media credibility issue.

Matt Barnes Expands Criticism Beyond LeBron James

Barnes brought up several past incidents to build his case against the ESPN host. He framed these past moments as a clear and ongoing pattern rather than just isolated television mistakes.

Barnes pointed out that, back in February 2025, Smith heavily criticized Williams for dancing at the Super Bowl halftime show. Smith faced heavy public backlash for those remarks, including from her husband Alexis Ohanian, and later had to issue a clarification.

He also brought up Representative Jasmine Crockett to prove his point. In late 2025, Smith publicly criticized her strong rhetoric and her overall approach to governance.

The former Laker player then mentioned Smith’s recent comments regarding Vice President Kamala Harris. Barnes views these specific comments as part of a much broader and troubling shift in Smith's appeal to a different type of audience.

This debate leads to the growing divide in sports commentary and overall accountability. Let us know your first thoughts about Matt Barnes calling out Stephen A. Smith. 

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Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Souvik Roy