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The Stephen A. Smith Show
Full Show: Breaks down the meaning of an NBA superstar with Magic Johnson. Trump calls California protest an insurrection, but pardoned January 6 participants.
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Stephen A. Smith
This is an iHeart podcast 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&T is introducing a guarantee with connectivity you can depend on, deals you want and service you deserve or they make it right. Learn more@att.com guarantee@&t connecting changes everything. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.comguarantee for details. It's your boy. I'm back in the house in my studio. We got NBA Finals to talk about. We've got anti immigration issues raiding Los Angeles, pun intended by the way. We got Senators being removed from press conferences forcibly. All of that is going on and I didn't even bring up he, did he Stephen A. Smith Show's in the House. Let's go. What's up everybody? Welcome to the latest edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. Coming at you as I love to do at the very least three times a week over the digital airwaves of YouTube and of course iHeartRadio. As always, I'd like to take a moment to pause and thank my subscribers and followers for supporting the show. The millions of downloads we've received courtesy of iheartradio over the last few months has been greatly appreciated and especially the 1.24 million plus subscribers we now have over the digital airwaves of YouTube. Can't thank y' all for the love and support enough. Obviously I wouldn't be here unless you wanted me here, so I completely appreciate the support. I thank you on behalf of my team from the bottom of my heart and as always, I ask you to keep the support coming and I'm going to keep on coming to continue to like and follow the show. Just click the bell to get notified of all of our newest content and you too shall be the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family. And while you're doing that, please make sure to pick up 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 straight shooterbook.com to get yourself a copy. Once again, that's straight shooter book.com to get yourself a copy. Now let's talk about the latest on the federal ICE raids and the subsequent protests happening around the country. The flashpoint happened in Los Angeles, California when overnight curfew was lifted at 9am Eastern. The curfew covered about one square mile in downtown LA with a protest against ICE raids and troop deployments in the city had been concentrated. Similar protests took place in other cities, including in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Austin, Texas, Las Vegas, and of course, the Nation's capital, Washington, D.C. meanwhile, three Democratic governors defended their state's immigration enforcement policies before the House Oversight and Government Reform committee today. Illinois Governor J.B. pritzker, Minnesota Governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul testified at what the committee describes as, quote, a hearing with sanctuary state governors, end quote. And check this out. This was the scene in Los Angeles just this afternoon as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was speaking about the raids and protests. That's Democratic Senator Alex Bedea of California, who was confronted by security and forcibly removed from. From that press conference. Padilla spoke out during Noem's initial remarks to reporters and attempted to shout questions at the secretary. The senator was shoved out of the room, taken to the ground and handcuffed, end quote. You see, ladies and gentlemen, you see that right there? That's why they've been talking about Stephen A. Smith being a candidate for President of the United States. That's why you should be looking at Governor Westmore of Maryland. You should be looking at Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania. You know, the people that don't engage in this kind of nonsense, you talking about propping yourself up, it's all nonsense. It's all used as a tool to divide us. On one hand, we have the President of the United States focusing our attention on illegal immigration and really highlighting it to the umph degree to make himself look good. Because you can't point to the terrorists right now. You can't necessarily point to the economy right now. You said you can't look at the war in Ukraine with Russia. You can't point to that right now. You can't point to Doge and what they're doing, because Elon Musk and you have had your little tiff over the last week, week and a half. So you can't point to that right now. So what's a winning hand to play? It's this. It's immigration, it's migrants, it's those who are undocumented or here illegally. That's a winning hand, and that's what he's doing. So you got that side. And on another side, here you have this. Senator Alex Padilla. Can Kristi Noem speak? Could you have waited till she finished to ask your questions, to shout your questions? You are a senator, right? You couldn't wait? So that was just you out of control because you were just losing her. You, a United States senator, couldn't compose yourself and let the head of Homeland Security finish her thoughts before you asked the question? Couldn't do that, huh? Couldn't do it, huh? I know you got an explanation for it. I know you got an explanation for it. And in fairness to you, because that's what we do here on the Stephen A. Smith Show, I'm going to be fair to you by making sure the people hear what you have to say. Go ahead. Senator Alex Padilla. Go ahead. Let's hear you. If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country. We will hold this administration accountable. Really? How are you gonna do that unless you win at the polls? How are you gonna do that? I'm all ears. Take your time. I'll wait. How you gonna do that? Cause I don't see how it's gonna happen. Senator Alex Medea, did you recognize that you sound a bit similar to a couple of other people? Let's take into consideration California Governor Gavin Newsom, according to the Wall Street Journal, reading from an article right here, hitting all of the greatest resistance hits. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are at least able to. To defend themselves. Who are at least able to defend themselves. He's assaulting the First Amendment. He's taking a wrecking ball to our founding father's historic project. This is what Gavin Newsom was saying about the Trump administration. Doesn't that sound similar to you? Sounds similar to me. I'm just looking at certain things like this and I'm saying to myself, where's that going to get you? Because at the end of the day, when you bring up the fact that you don't like what Trump is doing and you're coming to the defense of migrants, of immigrants, while it's admirable from a humanitarian perspective, all of us as human beings, as God fearing individuals, we don't want to see anybody suffering the way some of these migrants have been suffering. Make no mistake about that. This is not what that's about. This is about playing a winning hand or creating a winning hand or incorporating a winning formula. Are you doing that, Senator Padilla? Are you doing that, Governor Newsom? Because this ain't a winning argument. The poll showed that. I don't want to hear anything about how there's no mandate with Trump. He didn't win 50% of the vote. You didn't either. He won a popular vote. He won the Electoral College vote. He won every swing state. He increased his votes with young voters, black voters, Hispanic voters. Facts. It was an indictment against you as a party. And what has happened since that time. Now he's gotten into office and you're raising holy hell because he's engaging in a level of extremism. To my degree, I feel this way. I don't like what I see Trump doing in Los Angeles at all. You heard Kevin Frazier come on the show just the other day and point out how overblown some things are right now, how this conspicuous presence that's been placed on the city of Los Angeles, where you got four members of the National Guard, 4,000 members of the National Guard, and at least 700 members of the United States Marines protecting federal property, et cetera, is all of that necessary? It does seem a bit extreme, but if you're a politician and you're trying to play a winning hand, if there's nobody in the streets throwing stuff at you, if there's nobody in the street spewing and hatred at you and being a bit belligerent, what would they have to show for the cameras? What would they have to show? And you, as a Democratic Party, you have to remember what the backdrop of all of this is. Law and order from Trump. Because there didn't appear to be law and order when Biden was in office. Open borders. You said nothing. Migrants coming through the streets of America. You said nothing. We got medical in Los Angeles paying over a billion dollars for migrants, but don't have some, don't have enough for Los Angeles who are born right here in the United States of America, what argument do you think is going to win? No one would say sense believes that President Trump is totally right. This is not about right and wrong with him. This is about him knowing he has the benefit of the doubt on his side because of what you did over four. Over four years when he was out of office. If you were Gavin Newsom, as the Wall Street Journal alluded to, you know what you could have done to alleviate this? Since you want to take the Trump administration to court and say that he had no business federalizing the National Guard, you could have called the National Guard. You could have made sure that law enforcement throughout the city of Los Angeles had a very strong, vibrant, conspicuous presence where it might have alleviated the possibility of him calling in, meaning Trump Calling in the National Guards and the Marines. You could have done that, but you didn't. And because you didn't, you gave him the opening to do it because it makes you look like you're weak on. On. On crime, you're weak on lawlessness, you're weak on borders. All the things that got him elected, you're playing into his hand. And not only did you do it, Governor Newsom, now Senator Padilla did it, because we all know you could have waited for her to finish speaking. Now, I will say this. They had no business putting cuffs on Senator Padilla. Escorting him out of the room, even forcibly, was within bounds. The secretary for Homeland Security was speaking. You let her finish. You don't want to let her finish, then, hey, they definitely should have removed you from the room. That is it. They didn't need to put you on the ground. They didn't need to handcuff you. All they needed to do was keep you out of the room. You are a United States senator. Very disrespectful. Comes across as authoritarian. President Trump crossing the line without question. Without question. But they didn't arrest him. They did let him go. And within minutes, he was outside holding his own press conference. That is Senator Badilla. So let's take that into consideration now that I've said what I had to say about the Democrats, who I think are playing right into Trump's hands and looking like absolute fools doing so. That doesn't absolve the Republicans, especially the number one member of the GOP these days, that is the 47th president of the United States. I want to brace everybody out there listening. I almost caught a heart attack when I heard President Trump say what I'm about to show you. He said, play that tape, please. We have a great country and we're going to keep it that way. And when it comes to Los Angeles or other cities, if we see other cities are gearing up, and these people are agitators, they're paid, they're professionals, they're insurrectionists, they're troublemakers, they're all of those things. But I believe they're paid. And we're going to find out through Pam Bondi and her great staff, her great people, justice, who they are. Oh, no, you didn't. No, you didn't. Is that President Trump that just called somebody insurrectionist? People who are protested in the streets, dare I say looters, people that are defacing property with graffiti and stuff like that, you called them insurrectionists. But those folks that stormed the U.S. capitol in 2021 bulldozing through barricades and capital security. They weren't shrectionists. But you calling these folks Directionists? Really? Really? January 6, defendants pardoned by Trump. Over 1,500 of them were pardoned by Trump, where video is everywhere of them storming the United States Capitol, going into chambers, sitting behind the desk of Nancy Pelosi, chanting, kill former Vice President Mike Pence. One woman was shot by Secret Service. There were a couple of people who died. And you call these folks in Los Angeles insurrectionists. See, ladies and gentlemen, this is what I meant by when I said this is what the politicians have done to us. Not all of them. There is good on both sides, there's bad on both sides. But this is what the nation's capital, the elected officials legislating and holding purview over our country, has done to us. They serve to divide us. They're not about bringing us together. They're about keeping us divided so we can butt heads with one another, create and then live in the chaos we do create while they chill up on Capitol Hill having dominion over our lives. This is why these parties need to be purged. This is why there needs to be a cleansing in the nation's capital. I myself, I'm a fan of Governor of Westmore, Maryland. I'm a fan of Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. I'm a fan of Marco Rubio, as crazy as that may sound to some of you, because of what you see him doing as Secretary of State and heading our national security intelligence as well. National security rather. I get it. But seasoned politicians that know how to articulate themselves and are about legislation, are about policies and about laws in our land as opposed to creating chaos is what I'm down for. Guys like John Kasich, former governor of Ohio, Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey, not popular with a lot of people, popular with me. Nikki Haley, I would have voted for her. You don't need this chaos. This is exactly what I was afraid of. Exactly what I was afraid of. Gavin Newsom clearly believes his strategy is to be antithetical to anything that is Trump. By showing his behavior can remin. Can emulate Trump's, and other Democrats are gonna follow suit. Maxine Waters, God bless her, in her 80s, she goes to some event, daring federal officials to shoot her. Really? Really. That's how we're gonna behave? Like I said when I started, no wonder folks have me as a candidate for the presidency of the United States of America. Now, to be clear, I might cut some people out from time to time. Ain't no doubt about that. But I would be about bringing people together and working on compromise. That's the kind of candidate we need. Not me, but somebody committed to galvanizing instead of polarizing. The way this is going right now, times are only going to get uglier before they get better. Because who's really sincere when they're talking about how we need to get better? I don't see any evidence of it. I just don't. Coming up, my prediction is not wrong yet, but the Indiana Pacers are now up 2:1 in the NBA Finals. Are the Thunder finished? That's next right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. And later, in and out, named the best French fries. That's right, I said it. And guess what? I have my thoughts on that, too. Do like to eat it from time to time. Truly do. 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 NBA Finals are in full effect. And with all this action jumping off, the Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you take advantage of it all. That's why we partnered with Prize Picks the best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is really easy to use. You know, just pick more or less than a few player stats and you can win up to 2000 times your cash on a single lineup. Best of all, 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. Prospects. Hey, hey. Run your game. The Indiana Pacers took Game 3 from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Will they even it up for game four? Okay, meaning the Thunder. Will they even it up? They better. I'm giving you my picks for Friday night's game, so check it out. First up, will Tyrese Haliburton score more or less than 18 1/2 points? He's on his home turf. He's feeling comfortable, feeling himself, particularly after this performance in game thing. I'm going to go with more on this particular answer. Next, will pass Gal Siakam score more or less than 20, 20 and a half points. He was aggressive at the start, aggressive when it counted. I think he'll answer the call as well. I think he'll show up. I'm going with more with him as well. Next, Shay Gilgeous Alexander scores more or less than 34 points. I'm going to go with less on this. I think he's going to get about 30, 30 plus, but I don't know if it's going to be as much as 34 because I think that he's going to need somebody else to step up and show up and help out. Indiana's bench played lights out in game three. They cannot play OKC that way in Game four. If OKC stands to win this game, they're going to have to show up. Contribution is going to have to come from elsewhere. I think it will. That's why I'm going with Shea doing less because others will do more. And finally, will Jalen Williams score more or less than 21 and a half points? I'm going with more on this. So that's more for Tyrese Halliburton, more for Pascal Siakam, less for Shea Butter, Shay Gilgis Alexander, and more for his back courtmate Jalen Williams. Go to Prize Picks app and check out the Stephen A. Smith show community play. It's boosted 25%. You heard me. Go do it. Over the past six years of making my true crime podcast Hell and Gone, I've learned one thing. No town is too small for murder. I'm Katherine Townsend. I've received hundreds of messages from people across the country begging for help with unsolved murders. I was calling about the murder of my husband. It's a cold case. They've never found her and it haunts me to this day. The murderer is still out there. Every week on Helen Gone Murder Line, I dig into a new case, bringing the skills I've learned as a journalist and private investigator to ask the questions no one else is asking. Police really didn't care to even try. She was still somebody's mother. She was still somebody's daughter. She was still somebody's sister. There's so many questions that we've never gotten any kind of answers for. If you have a case you'd like me to look into, call the Helen Gone murder line at 678-7446. Listen to Hell and Gone Murderline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What happens when we come face to face with death? My truck was blown up by a 20 pound anti tank mine. My parachute did not deploy. I was kidnapped by a drug cartel. I just remember everything getting dark. I'm dying when we step beyond the edge of what we know to open our consciousness and to something more than just what's in that western box. In return, I clinically died, the heart stopped beating, which I was dead for 11.5 minutes. My name is Dan Bush. My mission is simple, to find, explore and share these stories. I'm not a victim, I'm a survivor. You're strongest when you're the most vulnerable. To remind us what it means to be alive. Not just that I was the guy that cut his arm off, but I'm the guy who is smiling when he cut his arm off. Alive Again, a podcast about the fragility of life, the strength of the human spirit, and what it means to truly live. Listen to Alive Again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. Now let's get started with the NBA Finals that shifted to Indy where the Pacers now have a two games to one lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers got a huge boost from their bench when Benedict Matheran dropped a game high 27 points. Tyrese Halliburton average added 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. And Pascal Siakam scored 21 points as well. The Pacers now have a 2:1 series advantage over the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder. I know I ain't know it's going to look like this. Give props where props is due. Pascal Siakam came out aggressive in Game 3, set the tone. T.J. mcConnell came off the bench, had about three steals, was in everybody's face dictating pace. He was a professional pest. Gotta give him a lot of love. Matherin is underestimated. You look at him coming off the bench, but people Forget he started 79. He started like 49 games this year, okay? And not only did he start that many games this year, he was the third leading scorer on the team. So the brother could put the ball ball in the hole. He's got a very, very bright future, make no mistake about it. But if you're talking about the Indiana Pacers, you got to give love to Tyrese Halliburton because he nearly had a triple double. He balled out, he played the kind of game he's capable of playing. And all of this stuff that you point out about him, everybody's been talking about it and everybody getting on me for creating question marks about it. I'm getting a discuss, I'm getting discussed it personally, I'm getting blamed for some I really, really didn't do. All right. The fact of the matter is, is that I don't mean to down the brother because I think he can play, I think he can Ball. Just because I don't think he's a superstar doesn't mean that I don't think he's a damn good player. Take her in towards greatness. I mean, I'm not the one that labeled him overrated. That was his contemporaries who were ignorant, by the way, because he's not overrated, which is something that I said. But evidently he's hard of hearing. Because as great as he is, or as great as he has the potential to be as a basketball player, he's not a great listener. Because when he had an opportunity to point out the real culprits spewing that nonsense about him, he wanted to point the finger in a very, very familiar place. Listen to Tyrese Halliburton post game after the Pacers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three on Wednesday night. Check it out. Most of the time, the talking heads on the major platforms, I couldn't care less, honestly. Like, what do they really know about basketball? I mean, at a time like this, I'm not really on social media as much, but you know, you see it and you know, ESPN what might be on in my house, and there it is. And Tyrese Halliburton, a couple of things. You do know that Charles Barkley is a member of the media, right? So is Kenny Smith, two time champion. So is Shaquille O' Neal, four time champion. Charles Barkley is an all time 75th Anniversary Team hall of Famer, gold medal Olympic winner. Jay Williams, ESPN national college player of the year, national champion at Duke, Kendrick Perkins, champion with the Boston Celtics, Mark Heath and Marcus Morris. Everybody's had comments about you, okay? None of us were the ones who labeled you overrated. Those were your contemporaries when you played in the NBA Finals and we pointed out how you shooting 33% from the field and averaging 15 points a game, even you said you had to play better. There's an 8% drop off. You're averaging 20 points a game better than 50% shooting. When you win in playoff games, you're averaging 12 points a game in the 30 percentile shooting when you're losing games. And in my estimation, when you are somebody that is great, when you are somebody that is considered a superstar, that level of inconsistency doesn't necessarily exist. But far be it for me to tell you that somebody has been covering the NBA for 30 years. Far be it for me. Maybe you'll respect it if you heard it from Irvin, Magic Johnson himself. Listen up, please. Please define a superstar. A person who can go on the Road and sell the building. There we go. That's the. That should be. That's a simple definition. Simple. I'm going to see that person, right? So you ain't talking skill on the court. That's it. You talk about draw. You got to be, Magic's in town. You're going to the game. Yeah. A superstar got to say, man, or you running home from the office and saying, oh, I got to see him on tv. Right? And that's what used Larry Bird, people running home, right? Charles, Bart, people running home. Shaq, people running home. Kobe, people running home. And then, of course, the greatest has ever played, Michael Jordan, people going running home to see him, or they're trying their best to get into the arena to see that brother play. That's a superstar who could go on the road and sell the building. Now, what's the superstar player? Superstar player. They got to lead you to the championship. They got to lead you to the championship. And it's got to. It's got to mean so much to them. It's got to be painful. It's got to hurt, you know? And so superstar is a guy who makes his teammates better. Right. It's not just getting yours, but how do you also inspire the other guys to bring them up to a level that's a superstar. To me, that makes an impact on that team in that locker room in that city. You get the picture? Now, you damn sure ain't the first category, but you got a chance to be the second. You win the championship over Shay Gilgeous Alexander, the reigning league MVP, who walked into Game 3 in Indiana averaging 36. You take him out and the Oklahoma City Thunder, we got to look at you differently. Tyrese Halliburton, you write about that. But for this particular moment in time, there is an absence of consistency, and there certainly isn't a backs or a box office element. That is not disrespectful. That is factual. Now, I do understand that certain players who will remain nameless, who happen to be superstars in this league, believe that that's hating on players. We don't do enough to tell your stories. We don't do enough to support and blow y' all up and talk about the positives. I'm sorry, I thought talking about the game was positive. If you have a game. If you have a game and somebody's talking about how good your game is and comparing it to the greatest who ever played the game, isn't that complimentary? Last time I checked, I thought that was. So let's Be very, very careful about what we're thinking about when we say some of the things that we say. It's real easy to point the finger at the media or the media doesn't know. The media doesn't know. Well, can we watch? Do I? How much does a person need to know to watch you shoot 33% from three point range? To watch you attempt seven shots over the first 40 minutes of a game, of a game two of an NBA Finals? Knowing that you're the engine, you're the straw that stirs the cup for the Indiana Pacers offense? How much expertise is needed to see you be handcuffed? To see you be passive aggressive? To see you have the entire left side of the basketball court wide open in a one on one situation against a defensive defender and don't even look to go in that direction because you run into a crowd of defenders. What level of expertise is needed in order for you to get the picture? We know you can play. We know you're not a scrub. We know you don't deserve to be overrated like some of your contemporaries do. But please don't fall for the regular old Okie doke where you're pointing the finger at the media. Just play your game. The better you play. We'll notice. Just like we notice when you don't play. We'll notice when you do. By the way, Oklahoma City's in trouble. They have to win game four. If the Oklahoma City Thunder do not win game four, it's a wrap. The Indiana Pacers have changed this series around. You see what Oklahoma City's been doing in the fourth quarter of their two losses? 36% shooting from the field, that ain't gonna cut it. And Indiana's making buckets. I'm taking telling y' all, Indiana's not losing three straight. They go up three. One after Friday night, they are winning the championship. So that makes game four Friday night in Indiana. That makes it in Indianapolis. That makes it the game of the series. I believe. Who wins Friday night wins the chip. Whoever loses, whoever losers. Remember I said that. Remember I said that. I got something to talk about with the Knicks. Very, very important Knicks conversation. But not until I pay some bills. We'll be right back in a minute. All right, everybody, listen up. With all the big time sports action is happening each and every day, the Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you are taking advantage of it all. That's why we partnered with Prize picks. The best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is really easy to use to make a lineup, all you have to do is pick more or less than a few player stats. Choose from any of your favorite players Tyrese Halliburton, Shay Gildrus Alexander, Pascal Siakam, all in the same entry. Then sit back and watch. The list is really endless. You can play prospects in over 40 states, including California and Texas. Best of all, prospects will give you $50 when you play your first $5 lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks. So just use promo code SAS and download Prize Picks 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 over the past six years of making my true crime podcast Hell and Gone, I've learned one thing. No town is too small for murder. I'm Katherine Townsend. I've received hundreds of messages from people across the country begging for help with unsolved murders. I was calling about the murder of my husband. It's a cold case. They've never found her and it haunts me to this day. The murder is still out there. Every week on Helen Gone Murder Line, I dig into a new case, bringing the skills I've learned as a journalist and private investigator to ask the questions no one else is asking. Police really didn't care to even try. She was still somebody's mother. She was still somebody's daughter. She was still somebody's sister. There's so many questions that we've never gotten any kind of answers for. If you have a case you'd like me to look into, call the Helen gone Murderline at 678-744-6145. Listen to Helen gone Murderline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What happens when we come face to face with death? My truck was blown up by a 20 pound anti tank mine. My parachute did not deploy. I was kidnapped by a drug cartel. I just remember everything getting dark. I'm dying. When we step beyond the edge of what we know, to open our consciousness to something more than just what's in that western box. And we turn I clinically died. The heart stopped beating, which I was dead for 11.5 minutes. My name is Dan Bush. My mission is simple. To find explorer and share these stories. I'm not a victim. I'm a survivor. You're strongest when you're the most vulnerable. To remind us what it means to be alive. Not just that I was the guy that cut his arm off, but I'm the guy who was smiling when he cut his arm off. Alive Again, a podcast about the fragility of life, the strength of the human spirit, and what it means to truly live. Listen to Alive again on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Now let's get to the New York Knicks and their search for a new head coach, which doesn't appear to be going well, by the way. The Knicks, who fired Tom Thibodeau after advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, have been turned down by several teams seeking to speak to their head coach. According to multiple sources, the Mavericks denied the Knicks permission to interview Jason Kidd. The the Timberwolves did the same with Chris Finch. The Rockets did the same with Ime Udoka. The Bulls did the same with Billy Donovan, and the Hawks did the same with Quinn Snyder. So the situation looks disastrous for New York, who fired the head coach that led them to the Eastern Conference finals without a plan? Here's my point. What the hell are you doing calling Quinn Snyder? You let go of Tom Thibodeau and your answer to New Yorkers was going to be Quinn Snyder is the next head coach of the franchise. Quinn Snyder, who by the way, knows basketball, who can coach. I'm not trying to disrespect him in any way. I'm just simply saying, what has he accomplished that's going to make you say, okay, it's all right that Tibbs is going. We got this guy now. Because that's what you need to do. When you got a coach that guided you to back to back 50 plus win seasons or 50 win seasons and took you to within two games of an NBA Finals, you're going to need to have somebody bona fide in order to replace him, wouldn't you say? I'd say so. Billy Donovan, two time national champion at Florida, respect the hell out of that man. But in Oklahoma City and then now in Chicago, he's not the answer for the New York Knicks at this particular moment in time. He's just not. He's just not. So I can understand you reaching out to Emei Udoka. You had no chance. Tillman fatigue ain't letting that man out of that contract. With two years left on this deal. He loves him. I understand you reaching out to other coaches. A Jason Kidd in Dallas Mavericks weren't letting him go. Anthony Davis is coming back. Kyrie Irving eventually coming back. We about to. They're about to draft Cooper flag. Okay? No, no, no, they ain't. They ain't letting Jason kid go. Not Happening. I'm still wondering why they haven't picked or at least interviewed Mike Malone, former coach with the Denver Nuggets, who won a championship just a couple of years ago. What the hell is that about? To not even talk to this man, to not even interview this man, knowing that he brings championship credentials to the table. What's up with that? With all that being said, y' all know where I'm going. I'm waiting for Mark Jackson to get the call. Hand down, man down that dude. I'm waiting for a guy that started Bishop Laughlin in Brooklyn, New York, that went to St. John's University and stood out. They got drafted by the New York Knicks and was rookie of the Year. I'm talking about that Mark Jackson. I'm talking about Mark Jackson, who was last seen as an outstanding A team member of, you know, the A team, calling games on the NBA for ESPN and ABC with Jeff Van Gundy. I'm talking about that Mark Jackson. I'm talking about the Mark Jackson that guided Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green through the early parts of their career. That set the table for Steve Kerr to capitalize on and ultimately become a champion as a coach. How in God's name does this man, Mark Jackson, who's been out of coaching for a decade, not even get a job in over a decade, not even as a lead assistant? How does that happen? I'm really, really wondering about that. I really need to understand that. And so I say all of that to say to you. This guy, Mark Jackson, New York would stand up and salute at such a decision. Without question. He would be embraced by New Yorkers everywhere because we all know he was a damn good coach and we all knows he deserves the opportunity. He doesn't deserve to be blackballed like it appears he's been blackballed. The other name that I would throw out there is Sam Cassell, lead assistant on the Boston Celtics. He's been an assistant coach in various places including Philadelphia and now Boston. He's been a bevy of places. He has paid his dues, by the way, he's a two time champion as a player. He knows the game of basketball. He's in your face. He's about holding you accountable. By the way, he also won the championship with Boston. If I remember correctly, with KG and the crew. Sam Cassell is special basketball mind and incredibly, incredibly relatable to players. Will get in their face and call them the hell out and still have them hugging him and saying, let's go out to dinner. That's how much love they got for him and respect they have for him. Sam Cassell has the credentials. Mark Jackson or Sam Cassell next head coach for the New York Knicks. Why not? Why not? Because clearly the Knicks don't know what the hell they're doing. Maybe it was Dolan that forced Leon Rose to get rid of him, even rid of Tom Thibodeau. Even though he. He wasn't able to force Leon Rose to do anything else. He gave Leon Rose latitude with everything else. Why would he have a heavy hand when it comes to Thibodeau? And if the players had something to do with this, why did Leon Rose have to capitulate to them? Is he not the president of basketball operations? Where was Jalen Brunson going to go when you got his boy, Mikhail Bridges and you got. Call Anthony Towns, you got another one of his boys and Josh Hart there. Where was he going to go? I don't know what the hell is going on with the New York Knicks. I just know that the way they're being talked about now, just a couple of weeks after getting to the conference finals, is tantamount to how they were being talked about when they were hot garbage. Which means that chaos once again has reigned over the New York Knicks franchise. Discombobulated all over the place, lacking maturity. It's got Dolan written all over it. Hopefully, they'll make the right decision with who their next coach is going to be. But we shall see. We shall see. Coming up, the latest poll is out, and America has weighed in on the best French fries. I'll get into that straight ahead. Plus, I respond to your tweets and answer your phone calls as well. It's your boy, Stephen. Ain't nobody hiding. I'm right here, and I'll be back when you're back in just a moment. Welcome back to Stephen Hill. Before I get to your tweets, I need you to take a look at the results of these fast food French fry rankings that were just released. The survey was conducted by Seating Masters, and results were based on the analysis of more than 40,000 Yelp reviews. According to the analysis, in N Out has the best French fries of any fast food restaurant, scoring a 3.86 out of 5 average. As if that result was not shocking enough, McDonald's was left entirely out of the top 10 with a 1.86 average. KFC ranked dead last. And you can see the rest of the top 10 here, including Shake Shack, Bojangles, Chick Fil A and Hardee's first of all, McDonald's not being on this list is egregious. Their French fries are delicious, okay? They're delicious. Now, if you leave them out long enough and they get soggy and stuff, it's different. But I'm talking about the natural, crunchy French fries. I mean, it don't get much better than McDonald's. Now, I'm gonna tell you something right now. Most of this stuff I've never tried. I tried Bojangles once. I ain't feeling it. Freddy's once. Nah. Shake Shack's got some decent fries. I'll give credit where credit is due. All right. In and out. Burger, same. All right. Raising canes. Nope, I never tried it. Zaxby's, Arby's, Hardee's, Checkers and Rallies. I tried that once. To me, McDonald's should be top five. I put chick fil A1. Number one. I'm a chick Fil a with the fries kind of dude. For me personally, Chick Fil a works for me. Only problem I got with Chick Fil a, they ain't open on Sundays. Other than that, I always want them. I always want Chick Fil A. So I like Chick Fil a lot. And I would say they should be number one. And McDonald's, I'm gonna go as far as they should be top three. I do not blame Burger King for not being on this list, as all their fries are awful. In my opinion. Humble opinion. I just don't like it. Just no taste to it whatsoever. I can't stand fries from Burger King. The one thing I will also tell you, you know who got some good fries, too, sometimes? White Castle. White Castle. Now. People around laughing at me. People around me laugh at me all the time. They like. Oh, God. Oh, God. Because anytime they bring up White Castle, they know me. I love my cheeseburgers. My double cheeseburger. It's the greatest laxative ever known to man. It's the greatest laxative ever known to man. If you got to go to the bathroom and you want stuff to come out just flowingly, you understand what I'm saying? You go to White Castle. That's my personal opinion. I mean, anything you're feeling bloated, like stuff is just stuck there and stuff like that. Oh, White Castle. Get rid of all that. You understand what I'm saying? And it's delicious. You understand? I love White Castle. And their fries are good, too. But Chick Fil a definitely should be number one. And McDonald's should be top three. But in N. Out Their fries, they're not bad. They deserve to be in the top five. I ain't got no problem with that. I ain't got no problem with that. Now let's get to your tweets, all right, Before I get to your phone calls. And get the hell up out of here so I can go cover Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Let's see what tweets you got up here at CFC accountable, right? Stephen A. Smith. Mr. Smith, my girlfriend found out about my wife. Huh. Damn. Let me rewind that. Okay? My girlfriend found out about my wife, and now she's threatening to ruin my marriage and the lives of my three kids if I don't pay her a monthly fee of hush money. How do I fix this precarious situation without ruining my marriage? Your advice is my only hope. Don't put it on me, bro. That's you. That's you right there. Now here's the thing that's bugging me out about you. It's usually in reverse. It's usually the wife finding out about the girlfriend she didn't know about, not the girlfriend finding out about the wife she didn't know about. Now, I could be wrong. I could be outdated. I'm not a woman. I haven't been in yalls situations. But it's usually the other way around, from my understanding. So you lied about being married. Right. About being married. Here's the thing. She's threatening to ruin your marriage, bro. That's you. You are in danger of using your ruining your marriage. You don't want to mess this up. You got a wife and three kids, and you gonna mess around with a girl and don't tell her? And then she comes back at you and she's letting you know, yo, I'm good if you pay me off. Usually a woman that's feeling you ain't good at all. She want to wreck your damn world because you wrecked hers because she don't have you. Except this girl is saying she's perfectly fine as long as you pay her. So I gotta ask you a sincere question, my brother. How much money you got? Somebody gotta ask you. Now, if you're a broke ass, you're in a world of trouble. But if you were broke, chances are this girl sound like she wouldn't have messed with you. Cause she would have known beforehand. She might not have known about the wife, but she damn sure knew whether you had a bank account. So that means that you might be well off enough to pay her a monthly fee. Now. Now we have to Ask ourselves the second question. How much does money mean to you? Because if you a hawk for your money, you the type of person that'll probably say, hell with that. I ain't paying her. But then she tell a wife, and unlike her who wants the money, the wife will definitely get the money. Because she got not one, not two, but three kids from your ass. You done messed up, bro. You done messed up. I understand you saying my advice is your only hope. The one thing I can't give you is hope. Not in this situation. You're in a bad spot. I would say to you, you know, you can sort of couch it like, you know, spend money on her while doing stuff for her. She's getting the money, but she's also getting you. But that would be encouraging you to continue committing adultery. And I can't do that. That was not very nice. You gonna have to pay in some way, bro. You're just gonna have to pay. I'm not talking about the money. You got to pay the price. Cause you did wrong. You shouldn't have done that. Next up, Bob on the Rob writes Stephen A. Smith. I'm in a bit of a sticky situation. My neighbor's delivery was sent to me, but I didn't know at the time, so I opened it up and found a toy used to experience pleasure. I'm having problems trying to reseal, and I don't want them to know that I saw what was inside. What should I do? Act like you never got it, that's all. They ain't got to know that you got it unless you want to use it and you don't want to tell them. All I'm saying is you don't have to acknowledge that you received that bad. Boy, I don't know what you talking about. Let them find it. Let them deal with that with the damn postal worker or something. You know why I say that? Because who's going to come, right, knowing that they bought a toy for their pleasure, who's gonna walk over to their neighbor and say, I had. I was expecting a delivery. Did you see it? Did you see it? And then when you say no, when you say no, right? It's not like they gonna get specific. They ain't gonna get specific because they don't want to telling themselves. They don't want to tell themselves. So you got that going for you. I would say, deny, deny, deny, throw it away or keep it for yourself and swear that you never received a delivery because you can't reseal it, right? And that would be more embarrassing. So since you opened it by accident, already saw it, and you don't want them to know, just act like you never got it. That's all. That is all. And just roll with it and whatever they think they think, but they don't know definitively. And they're certainly not going to want to extend the conversation when they're talking about what they were doing to themselves via those toys. You feel me? Try two more to go. Let's see here at what is this? Turvis Scott writes Stephen A. Smith Rank these rappers Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Nas, Lil Wayne. Damn, this is a tough one. Jay Z's my all time favorite, so I'm going to put him number one. Lil Wayne and Nas are legends and before this year, Kendrick Lamar would have been fourth. But after, not like us, after the way he eviscerated Drake, after seeing what he provoked Drake to respond like and what he has done. I mean, Kendrick's special. Kendrick special. I just, I listen to his song Die Hard every day. I love that song. Kendrick is a bad brother, make no mistake. So I'm gonna have to put him up there. I would tell you as a rapper, Nas is special. But when's the last time he's made some music? I would have to put Nas, then Lil Wayne, then Kendrick, then Jay Z. That's me. And you might say, well, when's the last time Jay Z did something? Why you gonna put Jay Z ahead of Kendrick? Well, Kendrick performed at the Super Bowl. Who picked him? Jay Z. Because Jay Z is running the super bowl halftime entertainment for the National Football League because he's Jay Z. And then there's everybody else. That's why I got to put him number one. Next one, last one. What you got here at Jinx Hoops, right? Stephen A. Smith. Which team would Kevin Durant benefit more playing for, the spurs or the Wolves? Well, first of all, the spurs are young, but if you got a healthy Victor wembanyama with Castle CP3 still there, that kind of thing, I would have to go with the Spurs. But I would tell you I love the notion, the idea of Kevin Durant pairing with Ant Man Anthony Edwards. Because Anthony Edwards needs another bona fide scorer to pair with him to take some pressure off of him. I mean, OKC was playing like a matchup zone, but it looked like a man to man. They were all over him. It was two guys in the vicinity at all times. The minute he put the ball on the floor with six hands coming at him, it was something special to behold. So I would say to you. It's a little bit different when it comes to him and I get that part. I just think that KD would be a perfect compliment for most teams, but especially Ant. Man, I like that. That would be my answer to this question. Let me get on out of here in a second, but not before I take your phone calls because I promised you I was going to take some phone call and I definitely want to do that right now. There's some people that wants to talk to me before I get on out of here. I see the lines are filled up, so let's get right to it. Let's go to Jonathan in Charlotte. You're live with Stephen A. What's up, Jonathan, how are you? Doing well. Doing well. How you doing, man? I'm all right. Talk to me. Yes, sir. I was calling with the finals going on right now, sir. For each team, I know the pace is one. Yeah, they know two up and one. So for the Thunder, if who, who can be the best for the team to get them past the paces right now between SCA and Ty Tyler Burton, who can be the best for your team to get the trophy? I don't understand what the hell you asking, bro? Because you sound all over the place, to be honest with you. I heard Halliburton, I heard sga, Sha, Gildrus Alexander, between the two. I'm sorry about this. Between the two, who. Who can be the best for the team to get to the room? Yes, sir. Good lord, bro, slow down when you you asking questions. I couldn't understand you. Shay Gildrich Alexander is the reigning league Shay Gildrich Alexander is the reigning league MVP. Shea Gilgis Alexander dropped 38 and 34 in the first two games of this series. Up until last night, they dominated seven of the eight quarters they played against one another. So I look at it from that standpoint and my answer is going to be Shay. Because even though Halliburton can ball, I mean, I know people are a bit sensitive about him at this point particular moment in time, but ain't nobody saying he can't ball. Ain't nobody saying he's not a young star on the rise. We know he's missed a clutch in terms of hitting 5 or 5 or 15 seconds left left or less in regulation or overtime to tie or win a game. Tyrese Halliburton this postseason is 5 for 5. The rest of the NBA is 4, 26. The brother's special and he deserves credit. But superstar status? No, I'm not going to give him that. I'd Give it to Shay. Shay is something to behold, man. And when you look at Shay and what he brings to the table, what really, really hurt him last night, or rather Wednesday night against, against Indiana, was that Rick Carlisle and the Pacers run the ball even after made shots. So they're pushing the ball up the court constantly. It's about three or four times Shea was knocked to the floor. He just laid there to get rest. That's what he did. That's what we're talking about here. And I think that's what we got to pay attention to. I mean, Halliburton is nice, Halliburton can ball, but he ain't Shea Gilgeous Alexander. Win or lose, he's not Shea Gildrice Alexander. So let's be clear about that. Appreciate the call, Jonathan. Next up, Mitchell in Virginia. You're live with Stephen A. What's up, Mitchell? Hey, Stephen A. What a pleasure to speak with you, sir. I hope all is well. I was, I'm a fellow New Yorker here, old time Knicks fan, very disappointed in the Knicks loss to Indiana. Quick question for you though, in terms of the progression of, of, of Hallie Burton. Did you, did you see the, the star, you know, when he first came into the league, was he signaling like, hey, I'm going to be an elite, like an sg, GA territory? No, no, no. What I. But listen, he can play, but he's a bit awkward or whatever, but he's productive. And when he plays well, the Indiana Pacers win. And when he doesn't, they don't. And so it just shows his impact on the game, on the outcome. But coming into the league, I wanted the Knicks to draft him. I thought they needed a point guard. If you recall, they drafted Obie Toppen. I wanted them to draft Tyrese Halliburton. He ended up going to Sacramento. I wanted them to draft him because I knew the brother could play and I knew he was needed. So, you know, again, for him to be in the game, in the finals, showing himself the way that he has right now, and playing under immense pressure and pressurized situations, I can't say enough about him. Just because I don't think you're a superstar yet doesn't mean that I don't think you can really, really ball. And you're very damn good and inching towards greatness, there's no question about it. And he's got that clutch gene. He's got ice in his veins. He's not scared. All of those things are contributing components to him ultimately being recognized as A great, great player. But listen, within the next week or so, it may not matter because he may be crowned a champion. And we all know that's the ultimate title to have. So that's what I would tell you on that. I got to get on out of here. I appreciate it, Mitchell. Thank you so much. Let's go to Kyle in Oklahoma City. You're live with Stephen A. What's up, Kyle? Talk to me. Stephen A. What's up, man? How are you? You know, I'm good. I hope before I get started, I hope that the town and the people OKC treated you well while you were here. They did. The hospitality was off the charts. Nothing compared to the love they show for Big Perk. Kendrick Perkins, though. Oh, my Lord, they gave me the key to the city. They. I mean, he could run for mayor and they'd vote for him. It's unbelievable. Well, you're. You're pro. You're probably number two in that book. I'll tell you, man, it's a. It's been. It's. It's been crazy here in okc, you know, the town, the state of Oklahoma, just with. With the Thunder, what they've done. But today's been kind of rough. We're all kind of in morning right now. Not to say that it's over, but last night, last night was hard. How do we. How do we get back on track for. For game four tomorrow night? By playing with urgency, by understanding your season is on the line. By understanding this is no longer a joke and you're no longer deemed a prohibitive favorite. These guys have taken you. They came back from a 15 point deficit with a little over nine minutes left in game one to beat you. And then last night they ran away from the game and they beat you. You got to answer the call. A championship is on the line. You got to stand up and answer to what people are saying. There is no question about that. You have to do that. This is what the Oklahoma City Thunder have to do. Collectively, they've been the best defense in basketball. They have the league mvp. They've been the number one seed over the last two regular seasons. They advance you. You knocked off Nicole Jokic. You knocked off John Morant. You knocked off Ant man. But Halliburton is going to take you out. I mean, think about that. If you're Oklahoma City, that should be your attitude. Halliburton can ball. Pascal Siakam can ball. No question about it. Neesmith, Nemhard, Turner, they all could ball. T.J. mcConnell, Matheran, they all could ball, especially that damn T.J. mcConnell. Oh, my Lord. Him coming off the bench being the little Energizer Bunny who could, you know, just wreaking havoc, steals, you know, pestering, dictating pace. Can't say enough about T.J. mcConnell. But here's the bottom line. Oklahoma City is still considered the better team. That means you got to show up and answer the call. And you know what this is reminding me of? This reminded me of when the Detroit Pistons ramroded Kobe and Shaq and the Los Angeles Lakers. That's what this is reminding me of. They were supposed to be the better team, but they ran into a buzzsaw in Detroit led by the great coach Larry Brown. They had Rasheed Wallace, Big Ben Wallace, Tayshawn Prince, along with Chauncey and Rip Hamilton. And the Lakers couldn't do anything with them because they were the better team. They played together. Oklahoma City may be the best team in terms of what you collectively see them as, but Indiana is playing better, or at least they did in game three. Oklahoma City has to win game four, otherwise they're going to lose the championship. They cannot overcome a 3:1 deficit. I don't believe it. I don't believe they're going to do that. They have to win Friday night, and we'll see if they do. Let's go to one more call before I get on out of here, please. Jackson in Illinois. You're live with Stephen A. What's up, Jackson? How are you? Hey, I'm pretty good. Steven, how are you? I'm all right. Thank you for calling. Go ahead. So I have a question for you about Aaron Rodgers. Obviously, you know, very, very interesting guy off the field, but I just want to talk about what he does on the field. I want you to tell me what maybe Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be expecting from him, stat wise, at least this season, assuming he doesn't get hurt and assuming that the wide receiver core we have right now is the one we're entering the season with and going all the way through with, I believe that Aaron Rodgers will throw for at least 4,000 yards. Okay, okay, I can get done with that. I believe that he'll throw for anywhere from 25 to 30 touchdowns. He'll have about nine to 10 interceptions. You know, I don't know if I quite agree on the interception number, but I can get down with almost everything else. I kind of. If we're comparing him to like another fringe top 10 quarterback that we always look at. Are you a Steelers fan, Jackson? Oh, big Dealers fan. All right, well, let me tell you something. You understand that you should be happy no matter what, right? Oh, absolutely. Because we walked into a quarterback room. We were contemplating walking into a quarterback room. Okay. With. With. I mean, who the hell was it? Skylar Thompson. Okay. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. Nah, I can't have that. We desperately needed Aaron Rodgers. So the fact that we have him is a beautiful, beautiful thing. I'm not mad about it one bit. And I think he's a bad man. Again, he has not been that. But I believe he will return to that stature this season because he has to in order for the Steelers to be relevant and ultimately win their first playoff game since the 2016. That's what I'm holding on to. Absolutely. Absolutely. Most quarterbacks look terrible and in a Jets jersey anyways. That's true. All right, Jackson, got to get on out of here. I appreciate it, man. Thank you so much. Ladies and gentlemen, that is it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. Hope you enjoyed it. I'll be back with you after the weekend is out. Game 5 in Oklahoma City will be Monday night. Happy Father's Day to everybody, everybody out there. By the way, you understand, this Sunday, I mean, dads, the most underappreciated people on the planet. As far as I'm concerned. That doesn't mean our children don't love us. Doesn't mean. That just means that everybody loves mamas more. Well, Sunday is our day. Happy Father's Day to all the great fathers out there in the world. I ain't talking to the dead beats. I ain't got no love for y' all. There's no excuse to be a deadbeat dad. But to all the loving fathers out there, happy Father's Day. Know that there are people out there who truly appreciate and love you for all you do and all you are. Till next time, Stephen A. Signing off. Peace and love. This is an I Heart podcast.