Full Show: 3rd Term, Talk of Trump vs Obama | Talk Cory Booker Talk! Trump trying to rewrite OUR Black History |

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show – Episode Summary

Release Date: April 2, 2025
Episode Title: Full Show: 3rd Term, Talk of Trump vs Obama | Talk Cory Booker Talk! Trump trying to rewrite OUR Black History

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1. Political Landscape: Trump's Potential Third Term

Timestamp [00:00 - 03:41]

Stephen A. Smith opens the episode by addressing current political turmoil in Washington, D.C. He highlights the unprecedented nature of President Donald Trump potentially seeking a third term, despite the clear stipulations of the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits anyone from being elected to the presidency more than twice.

Notable Quote:

Stephen A. Smith [03:41]: "If you were allowed for some reason to run for a third term, is…"

Smith elaborates on Trump's reluctance to dismiss the idea outright and expresses skepticism about the feasibility of circumventing constitutional amendments. He underscores the gravity of such discussions, emphasizing that they undermine the foundational legal framework of the United States.

2. Cory Booker's Senate Filibuster and Gavin Newsom's Critique

Timestamp [03:41 - 20:04]

The conversation shifts to Senator Cory Booker's extensive speech on the Senate floor, where he criticizes the Trump administration for jeopardizing American safety, financial stability, and democratic foundations. Booker’s prolonged address serves as a protest against policies he deems harmful.

Notable Quote:

Cory Booker [19:50]: "In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on American safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy, and even our aspirations as a people for our highest offices, a sense of common decency."

Additionally, California Governor Gavin Newsom's remarks on "Real Time with Bill Maher" are scrutinized. Newsom criticizes his own party, labeling its brand as "toxic" and urging Democrats to own their mistakes. Smith questions Newsom's consistency, noting his previous stances on issues like transgender athletes and sanctuary cities.

Notable Quote:

Gavin Newsom [19:30]: "Democrats, we tend to be a little more judgmental than we should be. We need to own our mistakes. We need to own what's wrong with our party."

Smith contends that Newsom's criticisms are hypocritical, pointing out his former positions that contradicted his current statements. He warns that such internal conflicts could erode Democratic support, particularly among minority communities.

3. NBA Playoffs: Seedings and Potential Matchups

Timestamp [27:59 - 39:17]

Transitioning to sports, Smith delves into the NBA playoffs' Western Conference seedings. He discusses the implications of the Denver Nuggets holding the third seed, the Los Angeles Lakers at fourth, and the Golden State Warriors at sixth. The focus is on potential first-round matchups that could significantly impact the progression of the playoffs.

Smith speculates on scenarios where star players like LeBron James and Steph Curry could face off, potentially leading to one team's early exit from the tournament. He emphasizes the unpredictability of the playoffs and the excitement surrounding these high-stakes games.

Notable Quote:

Stephen A. Smith [35:20]: "At some point in time, we got to make a decision, ladies and gentlemen. Think about the scenario here..."

4. Interview with Jay Ellis: Career Highlights and NBA Insights

Timestamp [39:17 - 59:29]

Jay Ellis, known for his role on HBO's "Insecure," joins the show to discuss his latest project, "Freaky Tales," and his perspectives on the NBA Finals. Ellis shares insights into his acting career, including the rigorous training he underwent for martial arts and weapons work in his upcoming film. He highlights his dedication to authenticity, recounting learning multiple martial arts styles and emphasizing the importance of storytelling.

Notable Quotes:

Jay Ellis [46:52]: "This is a wild movie, bro. It brings together four different groups of people and four different stories that all obviously converge."

During their conversation, Ellis weighs in on NBA Finals predictions, expressing support for the Boston Celtics' championship prospects. He appreciates the competitive nature of potential matchups and the narratives that drive the excitement of the playoffs.

Notable Quotes:

Jay Ellis [57:03]: "I think Boston gets there. I think we know that."

Smith and Ellis engage in a spirited discussion about the merits of different teams, with Smith expressing a preference for competitive and evenly matched finals to ensure a thrilling conclusion to the season.

5. Listener Calls and Interactive Banter

Timestamp [59:29 - 80:34]

The show features several listener calls, primarily involving interactions with "Josh Smith," Stephen A.'s nephew. These segments are characterized by playful banter, humor, and lighthearted exchanges about personal anecdotes, dating advice, and fictional political aspirations.

While these interactions provide entertainment value, they diverge from the main thematic content of political and sports analysis. Nonetheless, they contribute to the show's engaging and personable atmosphere.

Notable Quote:

Stephen A. Smith [65:01]: "I think that the Lakers are no match for them, whereas they're a better match for Cleveland. And so because of... Would make for an epic matchup."

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6. Concluding Thoughts and Final Interactions

Timestamp [80:34 - End]

In the final segments, Smith wraps up the episode with closing remarks, reiterating key points discussed earlier. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on substantive issues over partisan distractions and encourages listeners to engage thoughtfully with current events.

The episode concludes with additional playful interactions and remarks, maintaining the show's signature blend of serious discourse and entertaining dialogue.

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Overall Insights and Conclusions:

• Constitutional Integrity: Smith underscores the significance of adhering to constitutional mandates, particularly concerning presidential term limits, cautioning against rhetoric that seeks to undermine established legal frameworks.

• Political Accountability: The discussions highlight internal critiques within political parties, emphasizing the need for accountability and constructive self-assessment to regain public trust.

• Sports Narratives: The NBA segment reflects the show's commitment to not only analyzing current sports events but also exploring the human stories and strategic decisions that shape the outcomes of major tournaments.

• Entertainment Industry Dynamics: Through his conversation with Jay Ellis, Smith delves into the interplay between acting careers and storytelling, showcasing the dedication required to bring authentic narratives to the screen.

• Engaging Audience Interaction: The listener call segments, while lighthearted, reinforce the show's interactive nature, fostering a sense of community and relatability among its audience.

Final Notable Quote:

Stephen A. Smith [75:46]: "If she's freezing, that's a problem."

This episode exemplifies "The Stephen A. Smith Show's" multifaceted approach, blending incisive political analysis with passionate sports commentary and engaging personal interactions, delivering a comprehensive and entertaining experience for its listeners.

Transcript

[Stephen A. Smith]

At&t has a new guarantee because most things in life are not guaranteed like getting through self checkout by yourself. Not guaranteed in a world where nothing is guaranteed, AT T is bringing something new to the table. AT and T is introducing a guarantee with connectivity you can depend on deals you want and service you deserve or they make it right. Learn [e-mail] guarantee@t connecting changes everything. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.com. for details. Want to pull off the season's freshest trends? You just need the right shoes. That's where designer shoe Warehouse comes in. Loving wide leg jeans. Pair them with sleek low profile sneakers. Obsessed with the sheer trend? Try it with mesh flats, Feeling Boho Comfy sandals. Nail the whole free spirited thing. Find on trend shoes from the brands you love like Birkenstock, Nike, Adidas and more at dsw. The World is crazy right now. The world is crazy. We got a senator in the Nation's Capitol giving 20 plus hour speeches. We've got the right and the left seemingly losing their damn minds. We've got NBA action to get into and an actor making some noise as well. And nephew Josh is in the house to talk to y'all. Not me. On my own damn show. You can't make it up. You can't make it up. Stephen A. Smith show in the House what's up everybody? Welcome to the latest edition of the Stephen A. Smith show coming at you over the digital airwaves or YouTube and of course iHeartRadio, as I love to do at the very least three times a week. As always, I'd like to pause and give a moment of love and appreciation to my subscribers and followers and listeners on iHeartradio. There's millions of downloads that have taken place over the last few months and courtesy of YouTube, we've now eclipsed 1.16 million subscribers and counting. Can't thank y'all for the love and support Enough. Keep it coming and I'm gonna keep on coming to continue to like and follow the show. Just click the bell to get notified for all of our newest content and YouTube shall be considered the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family. And while you're doing that, please make sure to grab a copy of my New York Times best selling book, Straight Shooter, A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes now in paperback. Just go to straightshooterbook.com and get yourself a copy. Once again, that's straight shooterbook.com get yourself a copy. Let's get started. I remember I'm going to get to the NBA. I got to get to my sports now. But we got to get started in the nation's capital. And the latest headlines coming out of the White House as we're just about 100 days into the Trump administration. I think it's a little bit over 70 to be exact, but who cares? I appeared on Chris Cuomo show on News Nation a few weeks ago to address this notion of President Trump running for a third term. The idea was first floated by Trump's former key adviser, Steve Bannon. On Cuomo's show, Trump failed to dismiss the IDEA despite the 22nd Amendment that says, quote, no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, end quote. So let's say President Trump could run for a third term. That would mean the Democrats could put Barack Obama back on the ticket. Here's what President Trump said just yesterday when posed that question. Please take a listen to this. If you were allowed for some reason to run for a third term, is.

[Josh Smith]

There a thought that the Democrats could try to run Barack Obama against you?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'd love that. Boy, I'd love that. That would, that would be a good one. I'd like that. Now people are asking me to run, and there's a whole story about running for a third term. I don't know. I never looked into it. They do say there's a way you can do it, but I don't know about that. But I have not looked into it. I want to do a fantastic job. We have four years, just about almost close to four years. It's time is flying, but it's still close to four years. And we're getting a lot of credit for having done a great job in the first almost 100 days. I got a strong, a couple of opinions about that, to be quite honest with you. But before I get into that, I just wanted to remind everybody that this past weekend, this past Sunday afternoon at 3pm at the Westbury Music Fair in Long Island, New York, myself, Bill O'Reilly and Chris Cuomo were on stage, essentially doing a town hall in front of 1500 people. 500, you know, was it a few hundred VIP members paid $500 a pop. VIP, folks, thank y'all for the love and support again. But what I love about what y'all are seeing right there is that all three of us were talking. All three of us were listening to one another. All three of us were getting along with one another. Why? Because America, to be quite honest with you, that's the way it should be as opposed to politicians being on Capitol Hill and beyond acting like a bunch of juveniles. These are the people we've placed our faith in. And what do we have to show for it half the damn time? That's what we're looking at right now. That's why I want to show you all that footage. And thanks again to Mr. Bill O'Reilly and Chris Cuomo for putting it together in their participation. It's something that we may do more of in the future. We shall see. If the people call. The likelihood is we shall come. Now, let me get to what Trump said there. What he said was appalling. He'd entertain running for a third term. He's not ruling it out. It's inexcusable stuff. And the reason why it's inexcusable is because, as the 22nd Amendment stipulates, the presidency is something that you can only have for two terms. I'm paraphrasing, of course. Two terms. That's it. It's an amendment in the United States Constitution. And the reason why I had a problem when Steve Bannon said it weeks ago and Bill O'Reilly summarily dismissed, because it's not going to happen. Not going to happen. Let's not forget ELIELI Honing from CNN, the legal analyst who has appeared on this show on many occasions. Ellie Honing, I'm sorry. He's appeared on this show on several occasions, and a man knows what he's talking about. A brilliant, brilliant legal analyst talking about the likelihood of it not happening. What I said then and what I would say now. That's not the point. The point is, why are you talking about something that clearly is in violation of the Constitution of the United States? And I'm not even thinking about Trump on this, on this, on this level. I'm thinking about the Republicans out there. I'm thinking about the conservatives out there who religiously preach to us about the Constitution. Constitution, Constitution. Now, a whole bunch of black folks don't refer to that quite often because we remember the original Constitution labeled us three fifths of a human being. We didn't like that necessarily. So that's not something that we defer to. But since you on the right, you being a conservative, religiously referred to the Constitution, suddenly it's not applicable because your guy is in office. See, that's the inexcusable nonsense that I got a problem with. As for him going up against Barack Obama, once upon a time I thought Barack Obama would smoke him. I'm not so sure anymore. It was Barack Obama that spoke on behalf of Kamala Harris. Michelle Obama certainly put forth her due diligence in doing the same. Where did that get them? They lost the popular vote, lost the Electoral College vote, lost every swing state, lost the Senate, lost the House. I mean, damn, it's. Ls all over the place now. Barack Obama will always be my president. I voted for the man, love the man, respect the man. But we have an obligation to be honest here. The numbers and the facts have shown that while Obama himself has been popular all of these years, his policies may not be because judicial seats, congressional seats, Senate seats, gubernatorial seats, all else all over the place when it came to Democrats during his administration from 2009 to 2016. Look at the numbers, look at the drop off, look at the number that was there when he arrived, and look at the numbers of judicial seats, gubernatorial seats, congressional seats, Senate seats when he departed. It's inescapable. There's no way around that. That is factual evidence that while he is popular and very much liked and resonate with a vast majority of American citizens out there, black, white, Latino and everything in between, it doesn't necessarily resonate with others as it pertains to his policies or at least the people who he supports who co sign on his policies, because those people, they can't stay in office. So now it'd be interesting if Barack Obama could get a third term and decided to run again and Donald Trump and him wanted to run up against one another. I'm not going to lie about that. But it wouldn't be the four corner conclusion it once was. That is what we have to get to there. But the only reason I bring this up, it doesn't matter whether it's likely or not. It doesn't matter that it's unlikely in the eyes of many. The fact that you would talk about circumventing the Constitution is problematic. Now. There's people like Bill O'Reilly and others who say it's an evasive measure by Trump, it's an opportunity to, to create a mirage so we could pay attention to that instead of the real issues that are going on. Well, let me not be one of those people that fall victim and pray to that. Let me bring up a name like Kilmar Amaro Armado Abrego Garcia. Remember him? He's the Salvadorian based in Maryland who was snatched up by the government, I believe, ultimately deported because they were saying he didn't belong in the country, he wasn't a citizen, his wife's a citizen. They were saying he wasn't eligible to be here, when, in fact, they had to ultimately admit there was a mistake in court records because indeed, he does belong here. But they said, oh, no, what can we do about it now? We can't get him back. What the hell you mean you can't get him back? Because you deported him to El Salvador, and now you can't get him back. And so now the excuse is, well, he was a gang member. So remember, I'm Ms. 13, and this is the kind of stuff that they're saying to justify that you really shouldn't want him back here anyway. So what's the big deal? Once again, we're missing the point. We're a nation of lords. How many times have we said that? How many times have we heard both sides say that? And if we are a nation of laws, then you don't get to summarily dismiss your willingness to break the law or your incompetence in breaking the law. If we gonna call it, let's call it. We got so many people in this country. It's about this guy. It's about that man who's the 47th president of the United States, the banners of the world and others. You want him so bad, you got to co sign everything. You got to be puppeteers. You got to parrot his speeches. You got to do everything. What's wrong with saying he's wrong? The election's over. You can't just say he's wrong. You can't just say he could do better. You can't just say there should be this level of incompetence where we've got national security figures mistakenly texting war material and war plans to journalists. You can't just flat out say that is an inexcusable act. There is no excuse for it. You got to let Hegseth and walls and everybody but Marco Rubio look in our face and lie about the blatant incompetence that is that has been exercised. And the Republicans want to sit up there and point the finger at the Democrats. I'll get to the Democrats in a second. Right now, we're talking about y'all. What you gonna do about that? I mean, is it really that bad? Are y'all just that stuck and addicted to this dude, or are you scared that he's the only one that can resonate with the American people? Because, like the Democrats, you don't feel you have a bullpen? I think Marco Rubio qualifies as bullpen. I think Marco Rubio could be the next President of the United States in 2028. I think J.D. vance got a chance after I watched him on a debate stage against the Democratic VP, Mr. Walls, out of Minnesota himself. I think you got a couple of cats that you could look at, but evidently y'all don't. Because if Trump passes gas, y'all will say it's perfume. What the hell? You scared? You can't disagree with anything. You can't say, he did this wrong. He's got to do better. This mistake can't happen. That's ridiculous. It really, really is. And let me make this warning to the Republicans out there, particularly in the aftermath of Trump with the Smithsonian, and you want to sit up there and eliminate access to African American material, the history of African Americans, particularly as it pertains to slavery, Jim Crow laws, civil rights legislation, et cetera. Let me be very, very clear. Y'all on the verge of blowing the support you mustered during election time. It ain't going to be just farmers all of a sudden saying, yo, Trump, I thought you made us these promises. How are you doing? These tariffs, this is hurting us. This is harming us. This is compromising. It ain't gonna be just them that's gonna get all up in y'all. It ain't gonna be just Democrats. It's gonna be minorities in this country. How dare you try to eradicate history. How dare you try to eliminate what happened to us. How dare you try to say we're not gonna give you access or we're going to deny or compromise access to historical facts that can't be disputed just because you think it's anti American. I thought it was a part of America. You did this before, you know, as a nation, for many years, civil rights legislation that came into effect that was obviously denied to African Americans in this country before you ultimately relented. Voting Rights Act. That was denied as well. Women's right to vote. That was denied as well. There are so many denials on the part of the white power structure in the United States of America for so many years, not only to its own women, but to minorities in this country. That's where you going back to. Is that what you're threatening to do? Is that what you're attempting to do? It seems that way. It seems that way. Keep this up, it's gonna cost y'all the midterms, and then all hell's gonna break loose from 2026 to 2028. Mark my words. Mark my words. Let me get to the second topic, because that's necessary. But before I do that because there's a lot to get into. I'm not finished. I'm just gonna wait until my sponsors speak before I get back at it. Back with more in a minute. All right, folks, I need you all to stop what you're doing and listen up. You know I love this time of year, right? The madness is set, and we have four teams left in this year's college basketball tournament. And with all that action going on, the Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you take advantage of it all. That's why we've partnered with Prize Picks, the best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is easy to use. You know, just pick more or less on a few player stats and you can win up to 1000 times your cash on a single lineup. And there's more. Prospects will give you $50 when you play your first $5 lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks for playing. Use promo code SAS and download the app now. Again, download the app and use code SAS to get $50 instantly after your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. Hey, hey. Run your game today. I'll give you my picks for this Saturday's basketball games between the Auburn Tigers and the Florida Gators and of course, the Duke Blue Devils and the Houston Cougars. So let's get to it. All right, first up, will Auburn's Gennard Broom score more or less than 18 points? I messed up the other day. I thought he was going to score less than 18 and a half. I ain't making that mistake again. The brother's a baller, okay? Got hurt, came back, handled his business, propelled Auburn. I got love for this brother. I'm going to go with more than 18 points on this particular question. Next up, will Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. Scored more or less than 20 and a half points. This brother Special might be the best guard in the country. The brother Spectacular got a clutch gene as well. Knows what's needed, when it's needed, and how to get it done and provide what's needed. I believe in this brother. I'm going with more on this one, too. All right, next up, will Duke's Cooper Flag score more or less than 18 1/2 points? Cooper Flag is going to be the player of the year. Cooper Flag might win the national championship. Cooper Flagg may end up being the number one overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft. As a matter of fact, I don't think maybe. I think it's going to happen. The brother is that legit? Okay, Some white dude from Maine Busting everybody living. You know what? He's that special. He's that special. And because of that, I'm gonna tell you right now, he wins the national championship. He is on the Mount Rushmore of Duke College basketball. The Mount Rushmore. That means Grant Hill, that means Christian Laitner, that means Jay Williams, and that means Cooper Flagg. He's got that kind of skill. 6, 8, 69 a hand who can shoot interior on the outside and get to the basket, finish at the basket, hit free throws. Plus, he's rough and rugged, ain't scared of anybody. He's special. He's special, ladies and gentlemen. And Duke, I believe if they win the national championship, it's going to be because of that brother. We going with more than 18 and a half points just because it's him. Oh, say can you see the flag? That brother special. And finally, will Houston's LJ Cryer score more or less than 16 1/2 points? Houston's the one with the big time defense, all right, but have they faced a real formidable defense? Somebody that's focused on locking them down? Cry can ball, and I know this, but I'm still anticipating he's going to score about 16, as opposed to more than 16.5. So I'm going to go with. On this particular question, I could be wrong, but I had to pick less on somebody. And out of the four y'all gave me, I'm gonna pick him. So that's it. All right, let's go with it. More for Janae Broom. Okay. More for Cooper Flag. More for Walter Clayton Jr. Less for L.J. cryer. That's where I'm at with it. Y'all flow with me on this. I haven't been bad this year. Not bad at all.

[Josh Smith]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

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Here's a portion of Booker's comments on the Senate floor quote in just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on American safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy, and even our aspirations as a people for our highest offices, a sense of common decency. These are not normal times in America and they should not be treated as such, end quote. So long as Booker is holding the floor, the Senate won't be able to conduct other business unless he's temporarily yields Meanwhile, California's top Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, is speaking out against his own party. Newsom criticized the party and implored fellow Democrats to take accountability for their losses and called the party's current brand, quote, toxic. End quote. Newsom appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher and said the following, quote, democrats, we tend to be a little more judgmental than we should be. We need to own our mistakes. We need to own what's wrong with our party. Part of the problem with the Democratic brand is that we talk down to people. We talk past people, end quote. Newsom recently launched a new podcast called quote, this is Gavin Newsom, end quote. The California governor hosted conservative guests like Charlie Kirk and the aforementioned Steve Bannon. Newsom also found common ground with the right on the issue of transgender athletes competing in women's sports. He called these athletes participation, quote, deeply unfair. End quote. Bravo. Bravo. I mean, bravo. I'm so, so, so very touched, Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, that you would say that. Why didn't you add that you were the one doing it? Because that's exactly what the hell you were doing when you talked about the right, when you talked about conservatives, when you talked about conservative folks out there and what their principles were and how they may not have been for transgender athletes competing in sports, how they may not have been for, you know, for open borders, how they may not have been for sanctuary cities. Didn't you question their humanity in a roundabout way, at the very least? Weren't you one of the voice boxers out there saying that stuff now? I like Gavin Newsom. I think the brother looks the part. He looks presidential in them damn blue suits. No doubt about it. He's sharp as attack. He's smart as hell. But on far too many occasions when he was spewing out facts, it was rife with emotion instead of addressing the facts that the right was throwing in his direction to debunk anything that he had to say. But we forgot to mention that to Bill Maher on Real Time. This is the kind of problem that exists right now. So now that we've lost an election, suddenly we're going to admit you were talking down to people? Suddenly we're going to admit you weren't paying attention to people. Suddenly you're going to admit that the things that were prioritized didn't need to be prioritized. And now we need to have conversations on both sides. That's what we were all saying leading up to the election. Now, in fairness to Gavin Newsom, who I like as a person, I must say that I don't believe he would have run from an interview with Joe Rogan. I don't believe he would have avoided the last minute until the last minute an interview with Fox News. I don't believe that he would have been as cushioned and as safeguarded as Kamala Harris. I will admit that. But there is no doubt, respectfully, Mr. Governor of California, that your record won't hold the mustard. That's why you got a podcast. We keep inviting you on this show. Still waiting. Still waiting. Because here's the reality, sir, with the homelessness, with the crime, with the cost of living in California, I can't imagine Gavin Newsom winning a presidential election with what is going on in the state of California, period. And even though it may not have been your mistake, because natural disasters happen, the first words out of your mouth can't be, it's a local problem, not a state problem when you're confronted by it. And then you show up on Real Time with Bill Maher months later, and you're saying, hey, we gotta own up to our mistakes. Californians don't believe you. I'm not one of them. I'm not a Californian. I'm not talking about myself. But I know plenty of Californians that do not believe you at all. But I got some good news for people out there about politics and politicians and the things that you're seeing right now. I got some very good news to give y'all that y'all haven't thought about yet. 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[Stephen A. Smith]

Say hello to undies that work just as hard as you do no matter the leak. Find the style and level of protection you [e-mail] and use code flow15 for 15 off. That's kn Ix.com code flow15 for 15 off NYX for your leaks for your life, use promo code sas and download Prize picks right now. Again download the app and use code SAs to get 50 instantly. After your first five dollar lineup prospects run your game. What are the good news about what's transpiring in the political stratosphere right now? Even with Cory booker sitting there 20 plus hours raising holy hell about all the things he's been seeing from the Trump administration, things that I mentioned earlier didn't mention. Doge and Musk, Department of Governmental Efficiency and what Musk has been doing, cutting jobs, looking into wanting folks Social Security numbers, you know, trying to find everything, talking about curbing spending, eliminating waste and fraud and all of this other stuff. And to the Republicans out there, I'm fully aware that this footage of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck schumer back in 2010 and 2012 saying the same damn thing we're hearing from Trump right now and Elon Musk about fraud and waste and all of that stuff. So there is a bit of hypocrisy there, I'm fully aware. But the good thing about watching Cory Booker talk the way that he's talking about them is this, y'all. I don't know if anybody's realized this. It's real issues being discussed. See, we ain't talking about nouns and pronouns. We ain't talking about unisex bathrooms. We're not blaming illegal immigrant immigrants for everything. We talking about real issues that are affecting the American people. Federal government, jobs being stripped from folks, cost of living, quality of life being compromised, no happy medium in sight, absence of negotiations, the friction that exists. At least we're discussing the issues now. No more of this BS distracting us from what really going on, or talking about issues that affect less than 1% of the population. No more of that. When you talk about eradicating the Department of Education, that's real jobs. When you're battling unions and the teachers that are at the mercy of the unions and you're saying that change needs to happen, that's a real issue. We talk about national security and our defense and how we could spend 77 million on one subject. But when it comes to the Department of defense, we're spending 8 or 77 billion rather. And then it comes to the Department of Defense and the number we're spending is 800 billion. Yeah, we got, we got to talk about some real issues because the money's there, but where is it going what are we prioritizing? How many American lives are benefiting when we talk about the war in Ukraine? Yeah, it's important to talk about why. When Bill O'Reilly brings up something like the Yalta conference or the yalta convention from 1945, where you have the Brits in the United States and Russia collaborating with one another to create a new world after Hitler was defeated. And all of a sudden people are able to look to the year 2025 and saying the way that Trump is acting is similar to how Stalin acted and how FDR and these guys just gave the power to the Russians who wanted Europe and it agreed to a democratic society before ultimately reneging on that promise and instituting communism. All of these things that have been said and somebody's able to point to it being done right now and asking the question, how does the American citizen benefit from all of this? Now, I'm loving it, not because I know the answer, but it's because none of us really know. But we gonna find out the more they talking about it. And ultimately a conclusion is going to be drawn and we're going to ultimately confront what's truly in the best interest of America, as opposed to debunking and knocking down stuff that the other side was doing. And then we're just offsetting it by going the complete opposite. No, at some point in time, it's got to be about America again, not talking about America first, but legitimately, realistically, fairly putting America first in the right way. Because it ain't about America first, it's about the American citizens being first. Anybody could come up with a slogan about America first, but everything they're doing is for themselves. When you start benefiting the working class of America by making sure you're addressing their concerns, their needs, their desires, their fears, their wants. When you do that, then you could get away with saying America first without the cynicism that comes accompanied with it. I like this. We're debating and discussion real issues now as opposed to being emotional, devoid of facts about what the hell is really going on. So I enjoy the banter and I enjoy the back and forth as long as it's substantive. That's all I wanted to say about that. It's a good thing, y'all. Maybe not today, but it will be a good thing in the days, the weeks and the months to follow. And, you know, when we'll know really, really what it's all about. When the midterms arrive, if the Republicans win the midterms, America is saying, that's how we want this nation to be. If America says otherwise, then the Republicans will lose. Very, very simple. Very simple. Coming up, he's an actor probably best known for his role on Insecure. The one and only Jay Ellis joins the show to talk about his latest project. But first, LeBron versus Steph or Steph versus Jokic. What matchup should NBA fans want to see in the first round of these upcoming NBA playoffs? We'll dive into that right here on the Stephen A. Smith show. Up next on Growing. Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show. There's a lot of NBA stuff to get into, make no mistake about that, particularly with the fight for the Western Conference playoff seedings, because that's exactly where I want to go. Here's a look at the current seeding out west, where the Dover Nuggets are currently the third seed, the Lakers are the fourth seed, and the Golden State warriors are currently at sixth. So we could be looking at a scenario where LeBron and Steph face each other in the first round, and that could be a dilemma for the fans and the league. And here's where I'm going with this. At some point in time, we got to make a decision, ladies and gentlemen. Think about the scenario here. Let's say, for example, that the Golden State warriors hold on to the sixth seed in the Western Conference. They would possibly face Denver, who's a three seed, right? But if they moved up to the fifth seed because Memphis is sliding after letting go of their coach, Taylor Jenkins, they don't look great. They've lost the last two games or so. If Golden State finds a way to inch up to the fifth seed and the Lakers stay at the fourth seed, that's LeBron James and the Lakers versus Steph Curry and the Golden State warriors in the first round, it guarantees one of them gets to the second round, but it also guarantees that one of them is bounced out in the first round. So what do you prefer? Do you prefer LeBron going up against, say, the Clippers going up against, say, the Minnesota Timberwolves with Ant man in the first round? Do you prefer that with the possibility of advancing to the second round while Golden State goes up against somebody like Denver? They'd be undersized. But nevertheless, with Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler and what they could do together if they were fortunate enough to knock off Denver, then you get to the second round as well. Or do you want LeBron and Steph to face one another and one of them go home in the first round? I'm not going to lie to you, I like that scenario better because I don't know if I could bet on the Golden State warriors to beat the Denver Nuggets when Jokic or Jamal Murray are out of the lineup or both of them. Denver ain't the same, but when they're in the lineup, they're league leaders in field goal percentage shooting. They're one of the better three point shooting teams. Oh, by the way, they're top notch and fast break points, for crying out loud. This is what they bring to the table and they got a championship pedigree. I don't know if I want to bet my money on Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler and the Golden State warriors knocking off those brothers in Denver. Particularly with Denver having a home court advantage in a first round playoff series. A Game seven would be back in the Mile High City. I don't know about that. So we might have to settle on Steph Curry and LeBron James going up against one another and advancing with one of them definitively advancing out of the first round. And oh, by the way, in that series, I would still go with the Lakers, even though Golden State could beat him. I would say the Lakers have to be the favorites. Here's my personal preference, though. No matter what happens, I want Ant man to go as deep as he could go. I want to see Ant Man. I want to see Anthony Edwards. That's who the hell I want to see. Okay? I just want to make sure that I'm clear about that before we move on to my next subject. Y'all can sit up there. We'll take a poll. Y'all can sit up there. Express to us what y'all think. Who would y'all rather see? Would you rather see LeBron and Steph in the first round against one another, or do you want to see them going against different opponents so they could possibly both advance beyond the first round? Is that your preference or is the preference them going up against one another? Just let a brother know. Just let a brother know. I'm about to ask this next brother this question because he is my next guest. Talented actor best known for his role as Lawrence on HBO's hit series Insecure. Since then, he starred in a string of hit TV shows and films, including his latest called Freaky Tales, which hits theaters on April 4th. My brother, the one and only Jay Ellis in the house. What's up, big time? How you doing, man? How's everything, my guy?

[Josh Smith]

What's good, bro?

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's good to see you. By the way, tell everybody that. First of all, how tall are you? I was with you about two weeks ago. You're about legit, six three, six four, right? You're about six four, ain't you?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, about six four. I think that's what they call it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's right. And you intern with. With the Portland Trailblazers before you became this, this, you know, this, this star on television and film. You are a damn intern with the Portland Trades Trailblazers, were you not?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, man, I, I was there for the 030203 season, the Jailblazer season, man. Mo Cheeks was the coach. You obviously know that roster, but, yeah, I was there for all the trouble, man.

[Stephen A. Smith]

There we go. And so that means you know your basketball. So you heard what I said. You heard what I broke down. If you had your druthers knowing that you out in Southern California, but you're very familiar with the Bay, et cetera, what scenario would you want most? Would you want LeBron and Steph going up against one another in the first round with one of them definitively advance to beyond the first round, or do you want to take the risk of them going against somebody else and both of them getting bounced out?

[Josh Smith]

Like to see them both get deeper. Denver is. That's a great team, man. So I'm not sure that's who they want to see in the first round, for sure. So, you know, I think you're right. I think it's a lot of fun. I think it's great for the game to go. See, you know, the warriors and the Lakers slug it out in the first round.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you. You're good with them and at least knowing that one of them will advance past the first round, right?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, man. Listen, this is playoff basketball as we know it, and these are two great teams. And so, you know, I think we're going to have a lot of fun. You know, I think the series will go longer than what some people might expect it to go, but, you know, I think that's the basketball that we want to see, and that's why we sign up, and that's why we watch, and that's why we show up to these stadiums and these arenas to see games like this.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Are you sure it's fair to classify both of them as great when you talk about them as teams? I know they're good, but great. We know great teams when we see them. Do you really feel both of them are great?

[Josh Smith]

Here, here. Here's what I think. Boston is great. Oklahoma City is great. Right? We know. We know what the top of the pack Looks like we know that for sure. Like, we not. There's no questions about that. Here's what I. You can't do, though. You can't count either of these teams out. You can't count the experience out. You can't. The. The pedigree out, you know, and so I think these teams can have had flashes of greatness and can be great. You know, sustaining that over the playoffs, obviously, is tough, and that's what basketball is about.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Would you be excited about a Boston OKC finals? Yeah. Give it to me, man. Give it to me, man.

[Josh Smith]

I mean, listen, I'd love to see OKC make a run. I think Boston, you know, will get there. I'm excited to see them back and see them defending their championship. It would be fun to see okc, know what I mean? Especially as the Oklahoma boy, you know, I grew up in Tulsa, so, you know, it'd be fun to see okc, you know, go in there and. And have a real shot. That team is special, man. Like you. You look at that team like, those guys are really special.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They.

[Josh Smith]

They really show up every. I was listening this morning, man. They.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They.

[Josh Smith]

They might mess around and win 70 games. Yeah, like, this is a really great team. And. And I do think it would be fun to go watch a team where everybody is locked arms, you know what I'm saying, going to play basketball. It'd be fun to see him get there. There's some other teams that I might like to get there, but, you know, it'd be fun to watch.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let me tell you what I shared. Before we get into you a little bit more, let me tell you what I shared about this season. First of all, I don't want, as much as it's popular and as much of a bonanza in the ratings it would be for the Lakers to go up against Boston. The reason I don't want to see that series is because I believe the Los Angeles Lakers would get slaughtered by the Boston Celtics. I don't think that's a match they're made for. They built for that. I don't think so. I just don't like that. For the Lakers, I want a competitive NBA Finals. I don't want some lopsided affair where we go. We lucky to see you win a game. I think Boston would destroy them. Here's what I would tell you is my most attractive proposition in terms of interest. As great as the Oklahoma City Thunder are those young thoroughbreds led by sga, who's my MVP this year, by the way, the brother Spectacular Let me tell you what my matchup is. Could you imagine if it was LeBron James and Luka and the Lakers going to Cleveland to try to stop Cleveland from Capturing the championship? LeBron having to stop Cleveland from winning the championship. To me, that would be, that could be an epic matchup. What do you say to that?

[Josh Smith]

No, that's a lot of fun, man. I mean, obviously to see him have to go back home and win a championship would be, you know, would be amazing. That Cleveland team also, bro. I mean, wow.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, wow.

[Josh Smith]

What a phenomenal team from, from 1 through 12, bro. Everybody shows up and plays their part. That would be a lot of fun. I mean, obviously the storylines would be great, you know what I mean? In terms of all the other things that come with it, but the basketball, the style of play for those two teams, it would be a lot of fun to watch them go up against each other. But you can't count out a Boston Lakers.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, no, no, I'm not.

[Josh Smith]

You know what I mean? Like, that's, that's basketball.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I mean, that's, that's, that's, that's basketball. And I'm not. I think Boston's the best team in the NBA and they should repeat. You got to bet your money on them. I'm just talking about. I think that the Lakers are no match for them, whereas they're a better match for Cleveland. And so because of. Would make for an epic matchup. Whereas I think Boston against la. That series ends in five. That's my problem. I want a seven game series for the finals. I want a game seven of an NBA Finals. A championship on the line. It's 48 minutes away. This is. Everybody got to show up. That's what I want to see.

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, listen, listen, I think again, I, you know, listen, will it get to seven? I don't know, but I think LeBron and Luka could pull something out. You know what I'm saying? That maybe we wouldn't have expected, but you're right. I think a Cleveland Lakers matchup is a lot more fun to watch. It's a lot more even again, the style of play of those two teams, it would be fun. The storylines, it would be fun, right? That'd be fun to watch, man. I also would love to watch Donovan get there, man. I think Donovan is a guy, he's a stud, bro. And I think, you know, he's kind of was overlooked in Utah even though he was doing the thing in Utah as well. And obviously he's flourished in Cleveland, so would love to See him get there.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let me transition to you, man, because I got to get to some of the things that you doing. That's why you here. Not to talk basketball. I just. Hood, I just got your basketball analysis while I had you on camera. But let me ask you this. An NBA star, a. A corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, Neo Nazis, and a debt collector embark on a collision course in 1987, Oakland, California. Does this sum up the present, the premise of Freaky Tales?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, man. This is a wild movie, bro. It brings together four different groups of people and four different stories that all obviously converge. At one point in my story, you know, I got to play Sleepy Floyd in this film, who obviously, as we know, is a warrior great, still holds the record for 29 points in the fourth quarter in the playoffs. And, you know, it was amazing to be able to go in there and play a fictionalized version of him, where I got to honor that. That greatness, but still got to go have fun and do this amazing martial arts and weapons work that I get to do in this film to kind of avenge all these characters and all these stories.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why was Sleepy Floyd the character you picked? What was that about?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, yeah, man. I mean, listen, the first time I read this script, it was the most original thing I feel like I had read in the record really long time, you know, and. And it really jumped off the page of me, and it really set me in 1987, Oakland. I grew up, you know, this, but, like, I spent time in Sacramento as a kid. I had an uncle in Hayward. I got family in Stockton. I spent a lot of time around the bay and got in and out of there a lot. So, you know, obviously thinking of that 80s warriors team and this moment that he had, you know, it was just an honor to be able to do it, but, you know, to be able to flex and show my action skills and my martial arts skills, my practice, like that was. Was, you know, a lot of fun and a challenge. I love a challenge. I love a physical challenge. And, you know, getting to do that in this film was amazing, man. And, you know, getting to be the. Getting to be the hero.

[Stephen A. Smith]

There we go. So this wasn't something where, you know, you had some stunt double or somebody. This was you doing martial arts and all of that stuff. That's what you were doing, Jay.

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, we don't do stunt doubles, Stephen A. We don't do stunt double, Stephen A. We don't do that, bro. No, listen, man, I'm gonna tell you something. I. I hadn't done martial arts since I was about 7 or 8 years old. And I might have got a yellow belt. I'm not even sure. And I met my stunt double in this film and I told him, I was like, bro, you're not gonna work in this movie. And he was like, cool. That just means you got a lot more to do. And I learned five or six different styles of martial arts. I learned how to use five or six different weapons, bro. I was doing three a days. I would do two hours every morning. I would do an hour of lifting in the middle of the day. Then I'd go two hours of weapons at night, two and a half hours of weapons at night, six days a week. And did that all the way up until, you know, we started rolling cameras on, on, on Sleepy Story.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I heard you call Tom Cruise for some help, some advice. Mr. Maverick, Top Gun himself. Is that true? Mr. Mission impossible. Is that true?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, man. I mean, listen, who better to call than the guy who's really, he's really the definitive, you know, action star, you know what I mean? Like, when you think about that genre and you think about all that he's done, like, who better to call and say, hey, man, how do I do this? You know what I mean? How do I train? How do I. How do I recover? How do I prepare myself for this? How do I make sure I don't get injured? How do I make sure I'm hitting my mark? And through all this physicality, how do I make sure that I am absorbing every single one of these martial arts styles and, and weapons practices that, that you're, you know, you're learning at a time. And he was gracious, man. He, you know, he sent me this crazy long text with all these to do and think about and to watch, watch film. You know, one of the things I keep telling people is, like, he told me, watch film everything. And every single night before you go to bed, watch it so you can see what you did right, what you did wrong, what you need to improve on. And literally every single night, I would lay in bed and watch whatever I did that day.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How hard is it for you to watch this? I know doing TV every day, I don't like to do that too much. I really, really don't. To me, tomorrow's the next day I got to show up, right? How hard is it for you to look at it and just watch yourself and critique yourself?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah. Nah, that's not for me, man. That's not really, you know, in a TV show, I think it's interesting because I'm watching to understand the tone of the show I'm watching to make sure I understand that I'm locked into the right, the right show. And then after a while I stopped watching. But, you know, it's not my favorite thing to do. You know what I mean? I feel like I get to go make it and that's what I want to do. I'm not the one. I want to necessarily watch it. I want other people to watch it and experience it. And, you know, I hear how people feel about it, you know, and that's how I know I'm doing my job. You know, whether you love my characters, whether you hate my characters, as long as you feel one way or another, I'm doing my job right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The key, the enemy is indifference. That's the death indifference. As long as they love you or hate you, you good to go. That much we go, that much we don't. You know, the Netflix series Running Point, which you star in as well, you know, you played ahead of the fixture fictitious LA Waves, I mean, that's a hit on Netflix right now. You look at what you're doing with all of these projects, where do you feel you are in your career at this particular moment in time and how are you feeling about the industry as a whole with this quote, unquote, sensitive times that we live in and so much to be watching out for in terms of characters you portray and how information is absorbed?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, I mean, I'll say for the industry, man, I'm feeling optimistic. I'm feeling like, you know, we, we obviously hit some bumps and bruises, you know, from obviously the pandemic, like everyone else in the world through, you know, the strikes that we went through. And obviously there's been a ton of reshuffling and restructuring, but I think some of those, you know, those things are starting to settle. Obviously, LA had its own, you know, heartbreaking troubles with the fires this year, but I feel like a lot of that's starting to settle a little bit in the industry. You know, people want to get back to work, man, and writers are getting busy again, and writers rooms are opening up and, and films are being, you know, kind of fast tracked to be made. And so I feel like we're gonna make a roaring comeback and start making a lot of stuff again. And I think, you know, for me in my career and where I'm at, you know, I, I, I only dreamed of a lot of this, man, and then I started putting it up on a vision board at a Certain point. And, you know, I feel like I've been building these pieces and putting this career together of work that I'm proud of and work that, you know, I want to look back and. And say, I did that. You know what I mean? And. And be proud of it. And, you know, I've been fortunate to do that. I've been fortunate to work with a lot of amazing people, filmmakers, writers, you know, actors, obviously. And, you know, it's. It's. It's. It's beautiful. I think of it like winning a championship. I never won a championship. You know what I'm saying? But I think of it like, you know, next year you start all over again, and none of whatever happened in the past doesn't matter. So, you know, I pick up every single day and just keep doing the work and, you know, hopefully the career will keep going.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm wondering about the challenge of an artist, particularly one in Hollywood like yourself and others, considering how the industry, according to the reports anyway, has scaled back to some degree since the strike. You know, how much production is actually being put out there seems like content is king, but it also seems like studios, networks, et cetera, are spending less money, making less of an investment. I guess I'm asking, are these times harder or is it more of the same? Coming from a perspective such as yourself, based on what we know.

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, that's a great question, Stephen. You know, I think it is challenging, right? There's not as many opportunities out there for people. There's not as many. You know, if you're an actor, there's not as many productions going, which means you don't get as many opportunities to go get a job. If you're a writer, there's not as many writers rooms open, which means you don't get an opportunity to get a job. Or when the few rooms do open, they staff so quickly, you don't get an opportunity to get a job. And so, you know, I think it has been a challenge, man. You know, I think about a lot of friends of mine who are below the line workers. You know, you think you're craftsmen, you think your hair and makeup folks, you know, your gaffers, your.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Your.

[Josh Smith]

Your teamsters, you know, and a lot of folks have been out of work, so it has definitely been a hard time, and it's been a trying time. I think on the creative side, though, you try to look at it as an opportunity to create, and you try to look at it as an opportunity to say, if I could tell a story that I want to tell how could I do that? Right? How is that? Do I do that via a scripted podcast? Do I do that via a TV show? Do I do that via a film that I'm writing or I want to direct or a short film? And so I think it's really forcing people or giving people the opportunity rather to go be creative and think about how you want to give back to this creative community and put something into it. And, and that is, you know, that's how I try to look at it, man. And I think a lot of my friends who aren't as busy as they want to be, like, that's how they're trying to look at it as well, is like, how can they go create something for themselves and start a whole new lane for themselves?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Is it challenging when you consider fact? Like, like, for me, this is my show, I've created this show, etc, you know, but you got to go out there and get support unless you want to finance it yourself. That's not the role of an actor, producer or whatever. That's not a role that folks customarily want to play. Do you find that to be more challenging, more fulfilling, or too challenging to the point where you're like, damn it, I got to do something new that's got some guaranteed funds in the mix. What's your mentality about that, man?

[Josh Smith]

I love a challenge. So I'm probably the person, you know what I'm saying? Who's going to go? Who's gonna go? Try to figure it out, right? I'm the person who's gonna go, you know, be like, oh, well, how do you raise money? Or how do you, you know, get this thing made? How do you do a podcast? Excuse me? How do you license a piece of ip? That's, that's me. And, and kind of how my brain works, you know. It is a very daunting thing, though, you know, like, that is not why many of us got into this. Many of us became actors because we just want to tell stories, right? We love the power of storytelling and how we can reach the world. And, and it is self indulgent at times. Like, it's no lie. But, like, at the end of the day, like, you know, you do love the work and you love the study of people and you get to perform. And so now knowing that, you have to add all these different layers, you know, I think of it as, you know, putting little things in your toolbox, you know what I mean? And you slowly, you start to become a Swiss army knife and you start to realize, like, Oh, I can write a thing, act in a thing, get my homeboy to direct it, get another friend to produce it. And now we can put it out on YouTube or now we can license it to a streamer. And, you know, it. It's a tough thing, for sure. You know, it's a lot to learn, but I think there's a lot of people out there who. Who want to do it and, you know, are now given the opportunity to do it because there's no other choice, right? And I think people would rather do that before walk away from it because you love it too much. You know what I mean? Like, I couldn't imagine doing anything.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Wow.

[Josh Smith]

You know what I mean? Like, I just. This is my. This is what I was put on this earth to do, is tell stories and entertain people. So I'm gonna find a way to do that by any means necessary, before.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I let you get on out of here, man. Speaking of telling stories, tell us the story of the upcoming NBA Finals. Who are you seeing? Who do you see winning?

[Josh Smith]

Come on, man. Why you do this?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Come on, man. Come on, man. You want to tell stories, right? You want to tell stories? Well, listen, stories can come in a variety of forms. Stories. Stories could come with. They could be reality stories, or they could be fantasy. They could be fantasy. You know what I'm saying? You could give a fantasy version. I mean, Draymond Green out there talking about the Golden State warriors gonna win the championship. Some people think that's fantasy. A few think that's reality. Others think that LeBron and Luka got a shot. They want to ignore OKC in Boston. I mean, those are fantasies that could become reality. What about you?

[Josh Smith]

Okay, okay, okay, okay. I think Boston gets there. I think Boston gets there. I think we know that. We see that the west is tough, man. Listen, I mean, you know, this. You do this every single day, man. Six, seven, and eight. Five or five through eight are, like, one game apart. Like, this is crazy, man. Like, it is. It is insane to see this, you know, again. You know, going back to that, you know, you. You brought out who your MVP is. You know, Joker is my mvp. I would love to see Denver get there again. I think that would be a lot of fun. Don't wish that and then obviously don't wish that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't feel like being in the Maha city, man. I don't feel like being in that altitude, man. I just don't feel like going through it again, Jay. I just don't. I just don't.

[Josh Smith]

I know, bro.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You Know, my bodyguard losing his breath and all the time. I mean, I know what's up when.

[Josh Smith]

That dude is on the court. You know, it every. Everybody knows it, bro. It's the craziest thing to watch, man. You look up and you. You like, this dude has a triple double in the third quarter, and you don't even know how it happened because it happens. It's so smooth.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah.

[Josh Smith]

You don't even know. You know what I mean? And then when Jamal Murray is clicking and you know, it's. Aaron Gordon can catch the ball anywhere, and his bag has gotten better, especially on the dribble, man. Like, you know, they're a really fun team to watch and. And, you know, I believe in okc, but I think they got to go against some dogs to get there. They got to go against some vets to get there. They got to go get some dogs to get there. And that's not to say that they're not dogs, but I'd like to see Denver get there. And if it's not Denver, then, you know, I like to see the Lakers get there.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Man.

[Josh Smith]

I'm a hometown boy. I'm a hometown boy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you're a hometown BO boy that ultimately doesn't want to admit that you picking the Boston Celtics to win the championship. Is that what you're saying? I mean, that's what I interpret. That was my interpretation. I mean, I could be wrong, but that's my interpretation. Whoa.

[Josh Smith]

Listen, I don't know what happens when the finals come around.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You reserve the right to hold on to that thought, right?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah, I don't know what happens when the finals come around. You know, things get freaky. You know what I'm saying? But. But, you know, I would love to see Boston play the Nuggets, and if it's not the Nuggets, I'd love to see him play the Lakers.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right, my man. All the best to you, my brother. Freaky Tales in theaters Friday, April 4th. The running point, by the way. Streaming now on Netflix. And pick up. Did everyone have an imaginary friend or just me? Wherever you buy your books, the brother's a publisher. He's an actor, a storyteller extraordinaire. The one and only Jay Ellis. Appreciate you, my man. Proud of you, man. Keep it up. Thank you, my G. We'll catch up soon.

[Josh Smith]

All right, bro. Thank you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Doubt. One and only Jay Ellis in the house right here with Stephen A. Up next, your calls and videos. Folks want to get at me, but I got a weapon. The only part about is that he ain't no damn secret. It's my nephew Josh. But on this particular day, he might have my back. He just might. Miracles do happen. Stephen A. Smith showing the house. Back with more in a minute. Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show. You heard me talking politics, you heard me talking to NBA. Thanks again to the one and only Jay Ellis for coming on the show, talking with us as well. And I felt that I was gonna lighten the mood a little bit, you know, when this man asked me to come on the show, he didn't really ask. He just said, I'll be there. I'll be there, you know? Cause he a boss now. That's what he does. Nephew Josh is in the house. What's going on, man?

[Unknown Speaker]

What's going on?

[Stephen A. Smith]

What the hell is that you're wearing?

[Unknown Speaker]

I got a date tonight. Don't say nothing crazy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why does that look like shiny pleather?

[Unknown Speaker]

That's what's going on right now. Everything is not a Steve Harvey suit.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So. But. But is that pleather or. Or leather? And don't disrespect my brother, Steve Harvey. You be nice to me. Nah, y'all are tandem, you know?

[Unknown Speaker]

Harvey, Steve. Stephen A. Stephen A. Harvey.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, no. There's only one Stephen A. Back. It's only one Stephen A. But you wearing the tight, so. Hold on for a second. You said you got a date tonight. Didn't you just say that? Yeah. Where you going?

[Unknown Speaker]

Sightseeing. Cause it's free. It's my turn to pay, so.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you said because it's your turn to pay, you gonna go sightseeing. You're going sightseeing because it's free. So that means you don't wanna spend no money.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's not just that, too. The weather's turning around, too. Like, the city's nice. The weather feels good outside. We gonna get some air.

[Stephen A. Smith]

She needs to eat. But the first words out of your mouth was, it's my turn to pay.

[Unknown Speaker]

So this is free because, you know when they be like, it's the thought that counts. So I put 100% thought into this instead of money. 100% thought.

[Stephen A. Smith]

100% thought.

[Unknown Speaker]

0% 0% thought.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So where you gonna take her for the sightseeing?

[Unknown Speaker]

Where you gonna take her? We gonna start at 34th Street. Then we gonna walk a marathon until, you know, she probably gonna wear heels. Cause she think we're gonna eat, so we're not gonna walk too far. Then she gonna be tired, and you're gonna head back soon as you get inside.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But if she's hungry. Why would you head back anywhere when you really, really is supposed to be taking her out to dinner?

[Unknown Speaker]

No, I'm not supposed to take her out to dinner. I'm just supposed to take her out. It's on me on where I'm taking her.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So where's she from? I'm saying if she's from New York is what I'm asking.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So why you think taking her to Times Square, that's gonna move her?

[Unknown Speaker]

Because on every block, somebody's gonna shout, we rich? And it's just the feeling of, you know, you with a J List celebrity now. Working my way up. Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

B, what's on your mind, man? Why'd you wanna sit in here with me today, man? Cause, I mean, you already getting on my damn nerves with this. Go ahead, man.

[Unknown Speaker]

Did you tell them that we was at the Three Americans thing together?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I didn't tell them that. Was I supposed to tell them that?

[Josh Smith]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why you want me to tell him that?

[Unknown Speaker]

Because you have to add some validness to my JVP run.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, you were there filming it for me.

[Unknown Speaker]

Don't do it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you did a bunch of shots from the back of my head that made no sense.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, you want me to get into why? Cause the people at the place would not let me film from in front of you. You know why, right? Why my last name wasn't Cuomo or O'Reilly. Cause I told them. I told them who I was. They tried to act like they didn't know who I was. So that's either your fault or they fault. Who taking the blame?

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you saying that, you know, because you said that you were Smith, Stephen A. Smith's nephew, that they let. They denied that.

[Unknown Speaker]

That's past the Josh Smith. I didn't say Stephen A. Smith's nephew. I said, I'm Josh Smith, and we running in 2028. Now, where do I sit? And she looked at me like I was crazy. But I got over it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We running?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

How we running? We.

[Unknown Speaker]

We.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We running.

[Unknown Speaker]

Vice president. I'm gonna. I'm gonna get you the votes that. That the people that don't want to vote for you gonna want to vote for me.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why don't you tell the people what you said to me on Sunday when you came, you walked up to me and you said, uncle Steve, man, I might have been wrong. You. You. You. You really could do this?

[Unknown Speaker]

You could.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You should. You should. Why don't you tell them to elaborate to the audience, Let them know I.

[Unknown Speaker]

Walked right down on him because I did see him speaking on our behalf. I'm not sure where you can see that. Where can you watch that at?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't know. You gotta ask Bill O'Reilly.

[Unknown Speaker]

You don't even know where we can watch it at. But he was speaking on our behalf, and I was thoroughly impressed by that. I was impressed. And I'm like, listen, between me and you, you got. You. You got the left and I got the right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I think it would be the other way around, the way you talk.

[Unknown Speaker]

What does that mean?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm just saying. I don't know, but go ahead. Why you got these cards in your hand? What you got?

[Unknown Speaker]

All right, these are my notes for later. I got a few new laws and stuff like that. We gonna get into it after this.

[Stephen A. Smith]

New laws.

[Unknown Speaker]

New laws.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Oh, God. Let me go to the videos, man. Let me go to the videos. Some people gonna call in. They send the videos in. They got some stuff to say. I don't know whether it's to me or you or whatever. It's probably to me. Cause they don't care about you. They care about me. But let's hear what they got to say. All right, who we got here? Stephen A.

[Unknown Speaker]

My question to you today, sir, is if you could change the outcome of one game in. In sports history, not just for the result, but for the impact it will have on the player's legacy, what game would you choose and why?

[Stephen A. Smith]

By the way, this the best question.

[Unknown Speaker]

They ever asked you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Boom. Game seven. LeBron James against Golden. And the Cleveland Cavaliers against Golden State. Draymond Green should have never been ejected for game five. That was a stimulus package the NBA gave LeBron James. But give him credit, because him and Kyrie Irving went ballistic in games five and six. I think both of them dropped 41 apiece in game six. That was a game Steph Curry got ejected when he took his mouthpiece out and threw it. We actually fouled out, but he threw it at the. Aimed at the official, but accidentally hit a fan patron there. And then game seven, the block by LeBron on Andre Iguodala's layup. And of course, Kyrie with the side Step 3 over Steph Curry won the championship for Cleveland. If he doesn't win that championship, there's no championship in Cleveland. Okay? That's one less championship he would have on his resume, right? And there's no conversation whatsoever. No conversation about goats and all of this other stuff. So I would say to you, I'm not. That. I wish. Cause I'm not wishing that. But I Look at that game in terms of impact and legacy. You know, Magic and Bird win the pun Finals for a decade. Jordan won six, six NBA Finals, six to six. But when you talk about legacy, defining that would have been that.

[Unknown Speaker]

I think Mons. That one right there is like, I'm cool with that. With the results of that. Because that was players deciding what happened happen. The Legion of Boom. Losing a ring because you decide to throw a pass when you're at the two yard line, when you have Marshawn Lynch.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right.

[Unknown Speaker]

I. I don't like that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's a good one. That's a good one. Galen's over there talking to me about Patrick Ewing and the Knicks in 1994. Yeah, it would have changed Patrick Ewan's legacy. That is true. But we still wouldn't be thinking about him that much if the new Year. The Knicks fans would, but not the world, not the basketball world. That's why I didn't pick that Galen. Sit back there. Continue to lose weight, bro. Let's go to the next video. Let's go to the next video. Show me what you got. Hey, what's up, Stephen A. So here's my question, man. Why do I just have to see you every. Everywhere, man?

[Unknown Speaker]

Like involved in politics, involved in the.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Sports stuff, Involved in everything, man. I'm used to people that tried to stay out of the spotlight, like Jim.

[Unknown Speaker]

Murray or any of the LA Times.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Writers before it got terrible. So I don't know, man, you're not a journalist.

[Unknown Speaker]

You're just an influencer.

[Josh Smith]

And yeah, your political career is laughable.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't know why you're trying to get involved.

[Josh Smith]

You seem more literate than Kamala was.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So that doesn't make any sense. They need someone sharp or someone that's.

[Josh Smith]

Going to represent the people.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And you seem to be just about yourself. So, yeah, I guess my question is why are you everywhere and making millions of dollars?

[Josh Smith]

All right, thank you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I guess my answer to the question would be a question why the hell do you know I'm everywhere? Clearly, you can't get enough of me since you decided to send take time out of your life, you know, to send me that I won't get into the fact that you look like you got a lot of time on your hands. I wonder why I won't go that route. Instead, what I will tell you is this. First of all, I'm not an influencer. I have been a journalist. I'm a journalist that transitioned to a pundit commentator. Why? I have a resume, my brother, spanning 30 years. New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, CNNSI, Fox Sports, ESPN. Now owning my own platform, brother. This wasn't given. It was earned. So you can hate. You could do what you want to do. But I do this for a living. Now, clearly you have a problem with that. There's a simple solution. Don't watch. But the reason why you can't stop watching is because, you know, you hate it. But you like what you see. You like what I'm given. So I appreciate the support. I'm sorry. You can't. And admit it. Sorry about that. But that's on you. Josh, what are your thoughts?

[Unknown Speaker]

I think he was talking to me. Cause I ain't got no resume. I ain't got none of that. And I got put on. And I don't mind being spoken about. And. And.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And.

[Unknown Speaker]

And, you know, another thing, we owe Kevin. I'm sorry. We owe Kevin Durant an apology. Cause I used to. We all do. I used to get on him YouTube about having burner accounts. I got seven now, so you can catch me at Britney Spears, 79737. Watch your mouths. Cause I could be answering you from anywhere.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You got seven burner accounts?

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. They be talking to me like they crazy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't have no damn burner account.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know. You better wake up and fight back.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why?

[Unknown Speaker]

I don't know. I just think it's fun.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let me get to the calls, man, before I get on out of here. Let's go to the first one. Cause Zach in Wisconsin. Go ahead, bro. Go ahead, bro.

[Josh Smith]

So my question for you is J.J. mcCarthy and the Vikings. And if J.J. mcCarthy can play at.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You know, just that above average quarterback play with the talent around Minnesota, how far do you see them going if he's up, if he plays that way? You know what? I think they got a chance, man. I think their defense is big time. Flores is no joke as a defensive coordinator. O'Connell is no joke as a. As a. As a head coach. Coach and a quarterback coach. Quarterback guru. What I'm shocked by, Zach, is this reliance on JJ McCarthy. Like, they act like he's played in the NFL before. He was just injured or something. He was. He won a national championship in Michigan. He got injured his rookie year before he ever played the game. And yet they gonna say, you know what? You know, Sam, Donald, you can leave. They gonna say, aaron Rodgers, you don't have to come. So J.J. mcCall as that dude, they acting like he's produced already. I don't get it. Do you think it was not a smart Move to not get Aaron Rodgers.

[Josh Smith]

On the team just in case.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Maybe, maybe, maybe. What are your thoughts, Josh?

[Unknown Speaker]

Real quick because Giants fan over here, I don't really speak on the Vikings. Good luck next year.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right. Works for me. Appreciate the call, Zach. Thank you. This is Ben. Go ahead, Ben. Go ahead, man. I have only been watching basketball for about a year, seriously watching basketball, and I love it. The first game I ever saw was the Lucas 73 point game. And that made me a Mavericks fan. I'm wondering where do you. After the trade and after every. The disaster these past few months have been for the Mavericks, where do you think we'll be in around not five years, but like two years. Like long term. How do you think the Anthony Davis. Well, two years ain't long term. That's number one. Number two, I would say this to you. Within the next two years, I think Dallas Mavericks have a shot to win a championship. I think if Kyrie Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Derrick Lively, P.J. washington and the rest of the crew with Jason Kidd coaching them are healthy, I think the Dallas Mavericks have a chance to win the championship. Am I wrong about that, Josh?

[Unknown Speaker]

Definitely wrong. Ain't no way.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Ain't no way. Why not?

[Unknown Speaker]

Daniel Gafford, Derrick Lively. These ain't names. And Kyrie in two more years.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, no, I'm saying over the next two years, meaning next year or the year after they got a chance.

[Unknown Speaker]

I, I don't think so. You got them beating the top teams in the West.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They can if they're all healthy because they got. That's why the Anthony Anthony Davis is tied. Now, it might have been foolish to let go of Luka Doncic, but understand Anthony Davis is good for 28 and 12 night. When healthy.

[Unknown Speaker]

When healthy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And he's a legitimate. He's a legitimate power forward at 6ft 10, 6ft 11 when you look at him and Gaffer and Lively, if you get, get stellar guard play. If Kyrie and. And Anthony Davis are both available to you and everybody's healthy, the maps can compete with anybody.

[Unknown Speaker]

When I'm focused, I could do anything. How often am I focused?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yes. Griff just got in my ear talking about Kyrie's got a player option for next year. The brother just got had surgery. They gonna still pay him his money, but he was in line for damn near 250, $50 million. I don't know how much he's going to get now. Let me go to this last caller here. Let's go to Christian from Atlanta. You're live. With Stephen A. And nephew Josh Christian. Talk to us. All right, so how do you feel.

[Unknown Speaker]

About the whole Deshaun Watson situation? And where do you see the Browns going from there? Like, how do they move on?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Do they just, you know, blow it.

[Unknown Speaker]

All up, trade Nick Chubb and things like that and move on?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Or should they just keep what they have and hope that they find the quarterback in the next three years? You gotta hope you find a quarterback because you ain't blowing it up when you just paid Myles Garrett all that money. You didn't pay him all of that money to take seasons. And the fact of the matter is, Deshaun Watson, it's inexplicable what's happened to him, bro. I mean, that's just the mental completely contaminating your game. When you have a situation where you give this brother a guaranteed $230 million deal, every penny guarantee, when a brother got 27 laws at the time against him, and you give him the money anyway, and he steps on a football field and looks nothing like he looked when he was a quarterback for the Houston Texans. That's just messing with your mental, Josh. I'm going to my nephew here. I can't believe how bad Deshaun Watson has looked.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah, he definitely been looking bad. So bad that I'm in a making my neck hurt. I need a little massage.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Really? Damn, that was pretty low. That's kind of low to do that. That was kind of low. You should be nicer than that.

[Unknown Speaker]

All right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Sorry he got you needing a massage. You know, it's the leather.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's the leather.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Take it easy, bro. Take it easy. Let's get to you and your list before we get on out of here. Josh, you got new rules.

[Unknown Speaker]

New.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You said you got new rules.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You forgot to have the new rules.

[Unknown Speaker]

I did, because I got caught up in Deshaun Watson. I really do need him. Side. If I'm driving and I cat it. If I catch a heat flash, right, And I crack the window, but the passenger is cold.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Who.

[Unknown Speaker]

Who should we go with? I'm the driver. Remember that part.

[Stephen A. Smith]

If it's your lady. If it's your lady. Look, you. You got to find at least a happy medium. You got to compromise. You have to always do something that tells her it's not just about you. That's all I'm trying to say with that.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is it about me at all?

[Stephen A. Smith]

It can be, because you don't need to be freezing if you driving. You don't need to be uncomfortable because your safety her safety is in your hands. Cause you behind the wheel. But you do need to be a bit sensitive to what she wants and needs, even at that particular moment in time. Because, dammit, if she's freezing, that's a problem.

[Unknown Speaker]

So if she starts a question with, so can I ask you a question? And I say no, is that valid?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Say what?

[Unknown Speaker]

If she asks me a question and it starts with, can I ask you a question? And I say no, is that valid? Cause we all know when y'all start with, can you ask you a question? There's nothing good coming behind that. So you gave me an. You gave me an option, and I said no.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Mm.

[Unknown Speaker]

Is it rhetorical? Can I ask a question?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like, it's rude. Can I ask you a question? No, really.

[Unknown Speaker]

It'S an answer.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Next rule. It's straightforward. Next rule, bro. Next rule. I got a surprise for you, by the way, before all of this show is over, but go ahead.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, you do the indecision shot clock. If I ask you what you want to eat, you got 24 seconds to figure it out. You got two back and forths before the 24 seconds runs out. You know I'm vegan this month. No, we don't have time for that. Like, I'm really sick of it. I'm going on a date tonight like I told you. And it's outside. We gonna stop. We might stop at a hot dog truck or something like that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why would you be going outside on a date in April? In early April? Why would you pick an outside venue in early April?

[Unknown Speaker]

Like, it might get a little chilly, but the wind is not gonna go through this. Hopefully she doesn't have on nothing that's too damaged.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you thinking about what you was wearing? You took into account not at all what she might be wearing?

[Unknown Speaker]

No, not exactly. If she wants to go home, then the sooner we get inside, the sooner.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Man, sit down. What's your next rule?

[Unknown Speaker]

So that's it for today. Because, my males, we gonna get to the meals on the next show. What's the surprise for me?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, I'm gonna bring you back later on in the week to give you your rules. But I got a little surprise for you. A little video that I'm gonna play for you in just a second. I just sent it to my man Griff and Galen. When y'all have that video, play it for Josh. We gonna end the show on this, please. Cause you got something explaining to do. I got you good on this one. Hold on for a second. Yo, Stephen, A man, tell your nephew. Tell Josh. That I'm really disappointed in him, that he didn't know who the original Flash was. I pay homage to the original Flash before you introduce a new Flash character. All right, so I'm still a big fan. But let's strike one. You done. You done imitated one of the nicest dudes on the planet, who's one of the greatest off guards in the history of basketball, A three time champion, a Hall of Famer. All right? One of the best people I know. You know, that's my brother right there. And how in God's name do you not know who the original Flash was? I mean, you ignored him and he called you out.

[Unknown Speaker]

I never not knew who Dwyane Wade was. Is he still Flash?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Excuse me? He's whatever he wants to be. That's what hall of Famers are. Hall of Famers who are champions multiple times over, plus a finals mvp. Those are those guys right there. And by the way, he didn't send that video. I hope he's not mad at me. Cause he didn't send that video for me to put over the airwaves. But, you know, he got love for you, so I tried. I thought he would appreciate me showing that.

[Unknown Speaker]

What that reminded me of was, was it Rick Barry saying that, like he could have played in any era if he had all of the things that they had. Now this is what I mean with everybody. We have to move along with the times. If you see better, say it's better. I mean, Wade was Wade.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So, so, so, so, so who are you saying is better than D. Wade now? I'm saying who are you saying? Who were you alluding to at that time that he had to call you out? Who were you alluding to?

[Unknown Speaker]

It's not that somebody's better than.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Exactly. All right, so now we get that out the way. Secondly, that's not what he was getting on you about. He was getting on you about like you were acting like you didn't know who Flash was.

[Unknown Speaker]

I know who Flash is. I know who Flash is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you.

[Unknown Speaker]

I'm just saying that if there's a new Flash, does he keep Flash?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like, you see how you smiling? You smiling. Cause you caught out there, you trying to find a reason he called your boys. I didn't call him. Yes, you did. No, Josh, he was watching you. He was watching you on the show and saw you forget his name.

[Unknown Speaker]

You see, I do things to support this show. We in this as a whole. I even did the Chris Brown residuals challenge on behalf of the show. We gonna show it on the next on the next episode.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Residual challenge. Residuals.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah. It's like when you remake his song and I did it on behalf of our on behalf of our show, music video and all of that. I'm gonna show it to you when we go off.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Oh my God.

[Unknown Speaker]

R B album pending. That's what the letters are.

[Stephen A. Smith]

America.

[Unknown Speaker]

Where's the camera?

[Stephen A. Smith]

The world is YouTube. Goodbye, y'all. We gotta go.

[Unknown Speaker]

Let it go out on me too. Go out on me it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

@T has a new guarantee because most things in life are not guaranteed. Like getting through self checkout by yourself. Not guaranteed. In a world where nothing is guaranteed, AT T is bringing something new to the table. AT T is introducing a guarantee with connectivity you depend on, deals you want and service you deserve or they make it right. Learn [e-mail] guarantee@&t connecting changes everything. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.comguarantee for details.

[Josh Smith]

Welcome to AutoZone.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What are you working on today? My car is making this noise. Sometimes it's like.

[Unknown Speaker]

And sometimes it's like.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Do you have a dash light on?

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And we don't have to listen for clues. With the free fix finder service we we can read a check engine, ABS or maintenance light to find the likely fix and even recommend a local shop if you need one. So you don't need to hear the grr. Not with fix finder free at every AutoZone. Get in the zone. Auto zone restrictions apply.