Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and a theatre full of New York Knicks fans had the opportunity to confront ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith for some of his past comments about the team during a podcast taping on Friday night.
Brunson and Hart co-host “The Roommates Show” and had a live show at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden with an audience full of fans still high on the franchise winning its first NBA championship in 53 years. The event, which took place one day after the team’s parade in New York City, was sold out with proceeds benefiting the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
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Knicks teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles McBride, along with franchise legend Carmelo Anthony were among the guests. Also welcomed on stage was Smith, who took his lumps after getting loudly booed as he walked on stage.
Hart then proceeded to bring the receipts of things Smith had said. For example, in 2016, Smith did not believe that the 2016 NCAA national champion Villanova team, which featured Hart, Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Donte DiVincenzo, had a legit NBA prospect. There also the time in 2022 when Smith dismissed the Knicks signing Brunson by saying that Brunson “isn’t the answer.”
“We are now sitting here with this golden trophy there to your right. Can you sit here and admit you were wrong?,” Hart asked Smith.
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Said Smith, “I’m a grown-ass man. I was beyond wrong. I’m apologizing to this brother on national television; I’m apologizing to you; I’m apologizing to the entire Knicks organization. Let me be very, very clear — I have never been more happy to be wrong in my life. Let me be very, very clear — I came out of the womb a Knicks fan. I’m 58-years-old. The last time the New York Knicks won a title before last Saturday, I was four.”
The 58-year-old Smith has been a life-long Knicks fan, but has spent years calling out the franchise for its various signings and trades over the years. If the franchise goes into another multi-decade drought due to poor management, the ESPN host said he would not change his ways if the outcome at the end was similar to what went down this past season.
“So, I apologize for being wrong,” Smith continued. “But let me be very clear: if it means another championship, I would do it again.”