Full Show: He tackles Tucker Carlson's Anti-DEI remarks, Claps back at Ben Shapiro. Boxer Lamont Roach Jr believes he won!

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show – Episode Summary Release Date: March 13, 2025

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1. Introduction In this dynamic episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, host Stephen A. Smith delves into pressing societal issues, blending his renowned sports commentary with incisive discussions on race, politics, and entertainment. The episode features robust debates, notable guest appearances, and tributes, providing listeners with a comprehensive exploration of contemporary topics.

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2. Critique of Tucker Carlson's Anti-DEI Remarks Stephen A. Smith opens the episode by addressing a recent conversation between News Nation's Chris Cuomo and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. Carlson's remarks touched upon meritocracy and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), sparking significant controversy.

• Carlson’s Perspective: In the discussion with Cuomo, Carlson argued that meritocracy leads to a "lopsided society" favoring white individuals, suggesting that policies like affirmative action and DEI create division. He stated, “The meritocracy produces an outcome that you may not be ready for... rewarding people on the basis of race and punishing others on the basis of race creates hatred and division” ([06:28]).

• Stephen’s Response: Smith expresses discomfort with Carlson's interpretation, emphasizing that meritocracy has historically favored white men in various societal roles. He critiques Carlson's lack of acknowledgment of systemic obstacles faced by African Americans, stating, “We live in a white power structure society. White men run this country, if not this world” ([06:28]).

• Key Insight: Stephen underscores the inherent inequalities in a purely merit-based system, highlighting how historical and societal factors impede true meritocracy.

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3. Response to Ben Shapiro's Remarks Following the critique of Carlson, Stephen A. Smith addresses backlash from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro regarding the Derek Chauvin case.

• Shapiro’s Critique: Shapiro accuses Smith of being a "racial identitarian" and claims that racial narratives unfairly influenced Chauvin's sentencing. He states, “...the reason that Derek Chauvin is in prison right now is because he was the wrong race and George Floyd was the wrong race” ([18:11]).

• Stephen’s Rebuttal: Smith vehemently disagrees, clarifying that his criticism is not a personal attack on Shapiro but rather a response to the broader racial implications Carlson and others present. He defends the integrity of the Chauvin case, emphasizing the physical evidence and eyewitness accounts. Smith asserts, “He took a knee because... the knee of Derek Chauvin was on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes” ([19:36]).

• Notable Quote: Smith challenges Shapiro’s assertion by stating, “How do you win those rounds? So, so that’s a, that’s a thing that I probably capitalize on and hopefully to make him pick up his, his output too” ([50:00]).

• Key Insight: The exchange highlights the deep-seated divisions in interpreting criminal justice outcomes through a racial lens, with Smith advocating for factual accountability over ideological narratives.

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4. Interview with Lamont Roach Jr. A significant portion of the episode features an in-depth conversation with boxer Lamont Roach Jr., discussing his recent fight against Javante Tank Davis and prospects for a rematch.

• Fight Analysis: Roach shares his strategy and experience during the fight, noting, “I shut down a lot of things that a lot of fighters have. And that’s... that’s what I’m good at” ([50:38]).

• Rematch Prospects: Both Smith and Roach express confidence in a forthcoming rematch against Davis. Roach emphasizes his preparedness and conviction in his victory, stating, “The rematch is definitely my top priority, and it's close to being a done deal” ([53:11]).

• Notable Quote: Smith commends Roach’s performance: “You walked to Javante Davis from day one and tap and you were marvelous, my brother. Congratulations. I was wrong, damn it” ([41:08]).

• Key Insight: This segment showcases Roach’s determination and strategic approach to boxing, highlighting his resilience and readiness for future challenges.

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5. Discussion on Jay-Z's Sexual Assault Lawsuit Stephen A. Smith addresses the sensitive topic of Jay-Z's alleged involvement in a sexual assault lawsuit.

• Case Overview: Smith outlines the conflicting reports, including recordings where the accuser retracts her claims and accuses attorney Tony Busby of coercion. He states, “Jane Doe has said in a sworn declaration she stands by her claims and dropped her lawsuit because of, ‘fear of intimidation and retaliation from Jay Z, and his fans’” ([75:56]).

• Analysis: Smith navigates the complexities of the case, acknowledging the impact on Jay-Z’s reputation and business ventures. He posits, “Maybe he will, but I doubt it. I really, really doubt it” ([75:56]).

• Key Insight: The discussion underscores the intricacies of high-profile legal cases, emphasizing the lasting effects on personal and professional reputations.

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6. Tribute to Junior Bridgman In a heartfelt segment, Stephen pays tribute to Junior Bridgman, a former NBA sixth man who passed away due to a medical emergency.

• Bridgman’s Legacy: Smith highlights Bridgman’s transition from NBA player to a successful businessman and philanthropist. He remarks, “Junior Bridgman was someone special, gone, but he will never ever be forgotten” ([83:24]).

• Achievements: Bridgman's accomplishments include operating over 450 restaurant locations, becoming a Coca-Cola bottler, and engaging in various philanthropic efforts. Smith emphasizes, “I've never seen anybody in NBA circle so universally respected and revered because of his business acumen and his business accomplishments” ([83:24]).

• Key Insight: The tribute celebrates Bridgman’s multifaceted legacy, inspiring listeners to pursue excellence both on and off the court.

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7. Appearance on Gilbert Arenas' Podcast Stephen recaps his appearance on Gilbert Arenas' podcast, featuring guest Josh (Lamont Roach Jr.'s nephew), discussing personal and professional topics.

• Conversation Highlights: The dialogue touches on Steven's interactions with LeBron James and Josh's perspectives on NBA players. Notably, Josh critiques the nature of media discussions around players, advocating for character assessment over statistical achievements.

• Notable Exchange:

  • Josh: “I wanted you to put together like a starting 5 of plays, minus the accomplishments. Just about how nice a player is.”
  • Stephen: “If you saw Michael Jordan, you would not pick anybody ahead of Michael Jordan.”

• Key Insight: This segment explores the interplay between personal relationships within the NBA and the public persona of its stars, emphasizing the value of character alongside athletic prowess.

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8. Conclusion The episode wraps up with a blend of sports analysis, societal commentary, and personal reflections. Stephen A. Smith continues to engage his audience with insightful discussions, reinforcing his role as a prominent voice in both the sports and social arenas.

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Notable Quotes:

• Stephen A. Smith on Meritocracy: “We live in a white power structure society. White men run this country, if not this world” ([06:28]).

• Ben Shapiro on Racial Narrative: “The reason that Derek Chauvin is in prison right now is because he was the wrong race and George Floyd was the wrong race” ([18:11]).

• Stephen A. Smith’s Rebuttal: “The knee of Derek Chauvin was on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes... That is what happened” ([19:36]).

• Stephen on Lamont Roach Jr.’s Fight: “You walked to Javante Davis from day one... you were marvelous, my brother” ([41:08]).

• Stephen on Junior Bridgman: “Junior Bridgman was someone special, gone, but he will never ever be forgotten” ([83:24]).

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and notable exchanges from The Stephen A. Smith Show, providing an informative overview for those who have not tuned in to the episode.

Transcript

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[Greg Rosenthal]

It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Stephen A. Smith]

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[Hunter]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories of missing and murdered Black women and girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting Black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tamika Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez, she was in contact with several people talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction. But Tameka never bought the car, and she never returned home that day. One Podcast, One Mission Save Our Girls. Join the search as we explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered Black women and girls. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

LeBron James, Gilbert Arenas, Tucker Carlson and Ben Shapiro. What in God's name do all four of those subjects have in common? They'll all be talked about right here on the Stephen A. Smith show right now. 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 airways of YouTube and of course, iHeartRadio. As always, I'd like to take a moment to pause just to thank my subscribers and followers considering the millions of downloads over the last few months we received courtesy of iHeartRadio. Combined with the 1.12 million subscribers over the digital airwaves of YouTube, this show continues to ascend, continues to make noise in a very, very positive way. Can't thank y'all enough for the love and support. Keep it coming and I'm gonna keep on coming. As I always say, to continue to like and follow the show, just click the bell and you get notified for all of our newest content right here on the Stephen A. Smith show. And you too shall be considered the latest member of the family. And while you're doing that, make sure please to pick up a copy of my New York Times bestselling book, Straight Shooter, A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, now in paperback. Just go to straightshooterbook.com to get yourself a copy. Once again, that's straight shooter book.com to get yourself a copy. Let's get started with the conversation. Not on politics, not on sports, but on race. Conversation I heard recently between Chris Cuomo of News Nation and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. The interview was a wide ranging conversation that touched on a number of topics, including quotas and dei. Don't believe me? Tucker Carlson aired it first and then, obviously News Nation neared aired a snippet of it. Take a look what I'm about to show you. It became obvious that the meritocracy was producing an incredibly lopsided society and that freaked people out and it felt unfair to them. The meritocracy produces an outcome that you may not be ready for, actually, because it's rooted in nature and you can't change it. So these are super complicated questions, but I know that a system that rewards people on the basis of race and punishes others on the basis of race creates hatred and division. I was very uncomfortable hearing that from Tucker Carlson. Let me be very, very clear. Meritocracy created a lopsided environment, ladies and gentlemen. I don't know how you took that, but let me tell you how I take it. We live in a white power structure society. White men run this country, if not this world. And what Tucker Carlson basically said there was, if you're saying a meritocracy, that that is what existed and when that existed before the likes of affirmative action, before civil rights legislation, before dei, etceter, et cetera. If you're saying a meritocracy created a lopsided society and that lopsided society was in the favor of white folks, then essentially what you're saying is white folks got their stuff on merit, and everybody else maybe not so much. That's how I took it. That's what I heard. What did y'all hear?

[Unknown]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What y'all hear? That's what I heard. That's what I heard. That is why I was so uncomfortable speaking to Chris Cuomo last night, because I was a guest on his show in the immediate aftermath of about seven to eight minutes of Chris Cuomo talking to Tucker Carlson. I had not seen it up until that moment, and they needed me to open on it. So before I even delve further into this subject, let me air for you what I said to Chris Cuomo last night in the immediate aftermath of hearing what Tucker Carlson had to say. Check it out. He was dismissive of the cult of the racial construct notion that you brought to his attention, not realizing how palpable and how insulting, dare I say, that, would come across to so many African Americans in this country. The fact of the matter is, is that covering the world of sports, think about it from this perspective. They were telling folks, they were telling the black man he couldn't play the quarterback position. You were telling the black man he couldn't be a head coach. You were telling the black man that he couldn't be a leader of men. Let's not get started with what you were telling the black women. And over the course of time, we've seen how exceptional people from all races are and can be, and we see how deficient others can be. Then you also have to take into account the kind of society that we lived in. Remember, I got left back in the fourth grade because I had A first grade reader level. Okay. And I had undiagnosed dyslexia that I ultimately had to overcome. What was one of the challenges of overcoming it? I was in the streets all the time because my mother had to work two jobs because my father wasn't handling his business appropriately. And as a result, there was a weight on the shoulders of my entire family. And so as a result, sometimes you found yourself running the streets, sometimes you found yourself being preoccupied with things you shouldn't be preoccupied with. And as a result, that was taking up your time instead of you hitting the books and doing what you have to do. He didn't mention any of those kind of things, mention any of the potential obstacles that could lie in wait. He simply wanted to lean on race, talking to the potential intelligence or lack thereof of a race of people or what have you. And I just said to myself, wow, he really, really seems a bit detached from reality. And I was being nice. I was being very, very nice. I could have said some other things, but I don't know, I'm like that don't want to accuse the brother to anything. But the bottom line is I was very uncomfortable listening to him because when you use words like lopsidedness to describe a meritocracy, and that meritocracy vastly favored people that look just like Tucker Carlson, and you're lamenting the state of affairs that exist in society today, and you're pointing the finger at dei, diversity, equity, inclusion, as if that's what's gotten black folks opportunities, not their merit. If you're alluding to stuff like affirmative action, civil rights legislation, or anything else that occurred in the aftermath of Jim Crow laws that certainly was suppressive. And you're pointing to those things to indicate there's a problem in our society. What you're saying is it's a problem because we're no longer judging anything on merit. So that means whatever's going on in our society today, whatever opportunities are lacking for, quote, unquote, the white establishment, then excuse me, it can't be about merit. Let's get back to merit. And this is, to me, what Tucker Carlson came across as not getting. Let's say, for example, 30 positions was filled. Because if you watch the interview he was talking about, you know, hey, what's up with all of these communities? Black community, Hispanic community? We're just individuals with people with people. All of us are at the mercy of a system. We're a nation of rules. We're a nation of laws. We're supposed to be. And if that's what's going on in our world, well, who's hovering over it? Who's the puppeteer pulling the strings? Do we not see the Democrats right now lamenting everything about Donald Trump's power? Do we not see the influence that power can wield? Do we not see a guy in Elon Musk who's unelected, his position is overdose, does not require Senate confirmation or anything like that? Do we not see the power that he's willing when he's essentially an advisor and a consultant to the president, but clearly somebody who gets the president to do a lot of what he says? Power matters. Influence matters. And when it's almost always in the hands of people that look like Tucker Carlson, where does that leave the rest of us? If a Tucker Carlson is on the airwaves spewing that that's the kind of meritocracy we should want, Is it just me? Is it just me? And then you want test scores, standardized test scores. I get that part. If everybody is experiencing the same conditions, same qualities of schools and education, same quality of teachers, same qualities of life, having to walk through the streets of America to get to school, does everybody have to take mass transit? Does everybody have to take the train? Does every have to. Does everyone have to walk through impoverished neighborhoods, rough streets, crime? Does everybody have the same limited amount of distractions? Yes or no? The answer to that would be no. Which means the conditions are not the same, which means to just use something generic that's supposed to be applicable to everyone. When everyone's situations and circumstances and what is available to them and what they're exposed to is not the same.

[Lamont Roach]

In.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Tucker Carson's world, none of that should be taken into consideration. Based on what I heard, what does that leave us? That's where I'm coming from. That's my problem with what he said. That's what made me incredibly, incredibly uncomfortable. Because when you see people lamenting politicians who are in office and looking at them, their personality, their experiences, the influence that they wield, and where their soul lies. When you found yourself listening to Tucker Carlson, as I listened to him last night, I just got the impression, wow, this is not a dude that sees much outside of his bubble that he either is willing to relate to, but I have compassion for, I might be wrong with that. I don't know. I'm only going by what I saw. It looks very uncomfortable because his voice resonates, and it resonates with people who have influence. And if they're listening to him, what kind of influence are they willing to exercise and what role is he playing in it? No longer Fox News. No longer CNN and msnbc. He's got his own social media following. He's free as a bird to operate with relative impunity to say whatever it is he wants to say. That's pretty damn scary if you don't fall under the umbrella of merit or a meritocracy that he feels you should. Just my thoughts based off of what I saw. You'll see. We'll see. Ben Shapiro is the next subject that I'm going to tackle, but not before this word from prospects all right everybody, listen up. With all the big time sports action that's 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've 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 on a few player stats. Choose from any of your favorite players, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler and Zach Levine, all in the same entry. Then sit back and watch. The list is absolutely endless. You can play Prize picks in over 40 states, including California and Texas. Best of all, Prize Picks will give you fifty dollars when you play your first five dollar lineup. Win or lose, you'll get fifty bucks. Just 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 $5 lineup. Prize picks. Run your game.

[Hunter]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories of missing and murdered Black women and girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting Black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tameka Anderson as she drove toward Galvez, she was in contact with several people talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction. But Tameka never bought the car and she never returned home that day. One podcast, one Mission. Save our Girls. Join the search as we explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered Black women and girls. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Our iHeartRadio Music Awards are coming back Monday, March 17th on Fox. Starring Bad Bunny Glori, Kenny Chesney, Money.

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Long Nelly, your host, iheartradio LL Cool.

[Stephen A. Smith]

J, are you guys ready to have some fun tonight?

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Plus, iHeart Innovator Award recipient Lady Gaga.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Iheart Icon Award recipient Mariah Carey, and.

[Hunter]

Iheart Breakthrough Award recipient Gracie Abrams.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Watch Live on Fox Monday, March 17.

[Hunter]

At 8, 7 Central.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let me switch to another topic. It involves Ben Shapiro. I want to revisit the topic because that was from Monday show where I spoke out against the conservative commentator who called for the pardon of police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison after being convicted of unintentional second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter. I spoke out against Shapiro and those comments on Monday and he responded with a few choice words of his own. It's only fair that I allow you to hear those words the man had to say about me.

[Ben Shapiro]

Stephen A. Smith is one of the deepest racial identitarians in our society. He does it all the time. All the time. He does it when he talks sports. It happens literally all the time. If you're talking about Nikola Jokic, the greatest center of our generation, he'll talk about how Nikola Jokic should not be included in conversations for MVPs specifically because of his race. The reason Stephen A. Smith is saying this kind of stuff is because he is projecting. He is projecting a racial conversation where none exists. The reason that Stephen A. Smith is exercised over the George Floyd situation is specifically because of a racial narrative that is not predicated on facts. And then he is projecting that into me being some sort of racist for suggesting that the racial narrative should not predominate. This is the whole reason that Black Lives Matter was such a mistake and such a fail, because it was racializing of a question that was not in fact racial. And this is again, it's just more evidence that what I'm saying about Chauvin is true, that the reason that Derek Chauvin is in prison right now is because he was the wrong race and George Floyd was the wrong race. And because of that, Derek Chauvin is in prison right now because here's the dirty little secret. It never would have been a national news story if the races had been reversed or if both people had been white or if both people had been black. It would not have been a national news story. And that means that the officer would have been assessed on the facts of the situation rather than on the racial narrative people like Stephen A. Smith were propagating. Meanwhile, again, this is part and parcel of a broader left Wing failure. When it comes to narrative, the left wing narrative has failed on so many fronts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Good Lord. Damn. Ben Shapiro. I thought I talked fast. I've got nothing on you. Nothing. Good Lord. Let me try to address Ben Shapiro as best as I possibly can. Number one, I'm not accusing you of being a racist, nor am I alluding to it. I know close to nothing about you. I've never even listened to one of your shows. And that may be my loss, because anybody that's got over 7 million subscribers and has the potency of the voice that you have, you got to be doing something right. Let me tell you a little bit something about me, Ben Shapiro. If I thought you were a racist, I'd call you a racist. I wouldn't sugarcoat it, I wouldn't dance around it, I wouldn't allude to it. I'd say so. I don't know you, so it's very irresponsible, or it would be very irresponsible for me to say that. Having said that, although I will concede that the word irresponsible is not applicable here when it comes to you and what you're saying. The flip side to it, however, is I'm entitled to deduce from what you're saying how wrong I believe you are about something and how it. And to challenge you on how it makes no sense to me that out of all the things that you could approach President Trump about, since after not supporting him in 2016 and not even voting in the election, because I read that, I read up on you about that, that in 2024, you've campaigned for him, you donated to him, and you voted for him, and one would surmise you have some kind of relationship with him. I'm sure that out of all the things that you could talk to him about, that you could approach him about issuing a pardon for it does give one cause to pause why the Derek Chauvin case would be that one. See, he says, I raised my voice. And, oh, by the way, I apologize, Ben Shapiro. Let me dial down the volume so you don't have an excuse for not hearing me. Let me calm and cool as I'm talking to you and your listeners and your followers, who I'm sure are quite smart and all that stuff. And before I even go any further, let me say this, just reading up on you incredibly impressive resume. My brother, political commentator, author, lawyer, columnist, media host, University of California, BA degree, Harvard Law School, JD degree, Conservative, you understand, skipped two grades in school and enrolled at UCLA at the age of 16. Graduating summa cum laude in political science. Later attended Harvard Law school, earning your JD in 2007. That's pretty damn impressive. I couldn't have pulled that off. Never did. Major, major props to you. Began your career as a writer, becoming one of the youngest nationally syndicated columnists in the United States of America at the age of 17. Over time, expanded into multiple media roles, including as an author, commentator, and speaker. You wrote books, you know, you got the Daily Wire Since 2015, the podcast, public speaking engagements, et cetera. Man, this is impressive. Obviously, my resume doesn't compare to yours, and it shouldn't. I haven't earned what you've earned, sir. And I'm not about to go tit for tat for you politically, because I don't know as much as you, because I'm a baby at all of this compared to you guys, But I smell something that stinks. And respectfully, sir, it's you with your opinion about Derek Chauvin being pardoned. Notice how you went the liberal route. As if I don't have conservative friends. There aren't conservatives that I would support. There aren't conservatives I would have voted for. I told everybody that this election, I'd have voted for anybody but Trump. Maybe not DeSantis, after he brought up how this benefits to slavery. I didn't like that. And I like how folks piggyback off of that. I just have an ultra level of sensitivity to that because there's everyday life that we're talking about here, and if you don't harbor a level of sensitivity as to how it affects communities other than your own when you take such positions, I have a hard time being supportive of you in that regard. But I would have voted for Christy. Probably would have voted for Ramaswamy. I definitely would have voted for Nikki Haley back in 2016. I definitely would have voted for Kasich. Without question, I'd have voted for Marco Rubio. I'm proud to see Marco Rubio as the Secretary of State. I think he's going to do a great job. He's more than qualified. You are supportive of Ted Cruz, if I remember correctly. I ain't like the whole Tea Party thing, but I respected it. I respected where they were coming from. Less government intervention, free market capitalism controlling our borders. I'm not against those messages, sir. You and I might have some things in common. Ben Shapiro, you don't even realize. Not this. So stop attaching me to the left that I criticize all the time, because I'm sick of what they've done. I apologize. I got a dollar back. Stop connecting me with the liberals. I'm disgusted with them. I think they led us down a bad path and they led their own party down a path of destruction. I've heard you allude to such things and I agree with you. They better get their act together. They seem to have lost their mind. But getting back to Derek Chauvin, you know, Ben Shapiro, you brought up fentanyl, that being in his system, you brought up his criminal record. I have it all in front of me. 1997 to 2007, nine separate occasions in which authorities arrested him, mostly on drug and theft charges that resulted in months long jail sentences. I got it right here. I got it right here, Ben. I also have the autopsy. I'll read the couple of graphs to you, Ben, because it doesn't change. See it right there, Ben? See that right there. And let me read this to you, Ben. According to the county's post mortem toxicology screening, which is summarized below and was performed one day after George Floyd's death, he was intoxicated with fentanyl and had recently used methamphetamines as well as other substances before Chauvin choked him. And you see the stuff on the bottom? It's right there. Let me read a couple of other graphs to you, Ben. Firstly, on May 29, 2020, court documents revealed the Hennepin county medical examiner's investigation into Floyd's death showed, quote, no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxiation and that potential intoxicants and preexisting cardiovascular disease, quote, likely contributed to his death. Note. Coronary artery disease and hypertension typically increase patients risk of stroke and heart attack over the years, not minutes. And asphyxia or suffocation does not always leave physical signs, according to doctors. But then two days later, the county released a statement that attributed Floyd's cause of death to cardiopulmonary arrest, complicating law enforcement subdual restraint and neck compression, which essentially means he died because his heart and lungs stopped while he was being restrained by police. That announcement came just hours after Floyd's family released findings of a separate private autopsy that determined Floyd had indeed died from a combination of Chauvin's knee on his neck and pressure on his back. From the other officers, let me get back to you specifically, Mr. Ben Shapiro. Wouldn't you agree that certain things don't have anything to do with politics? When police officers for the LAPD beat the living crap out of Rodney King in the early 90s. Do you believe those officers should have been let off as he was on the ground, writhing in pain, rolling around as they beat him mercilessly with their batons? I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you probably thought that was wrong. My point, Ben Shapiro, is how much evidence do you need to see to understand that something was, at the very least, a contributing factor? See, you're trying to go down the lane. I wasn't trying to go down. I'm not gonna let you take me there. Which is why I turned down your invitation to appear on your show. We're not getting into all of the science and what the doctor autopsy report, even though I just read it to you to some degree. We don't have to go there. I'm simply saying, did you not see him handcuffed behind his back? If he's handcuffed behind his back and laying on the ground, Ben Shapiro, why does the knee need to be on his neck? You can go out. I saw the reports that Candace Owens did as she was undressing Black Lives Matter. By the way, you're looking at somebody who's been critical of Black Lives Matter myself. Once we learn some of the things we learned. What I'm saying to you is it doesn't negate what Officer Chauvin did. There was no reason to have a knee on his neck. We're literally going to get into, oh, there's drugs in his system. Oh, you know, he has an arrest record. What does that have to do with the knee being on the neck of a man laying on the ground handcuffed behind his back? Why? Why? Laid on his back, compressed to such a degree that there was imprints and scars on his face from being pressed against the pavement by the knee of Derek Chauvin. It wasn't just me. Mark Levin said that. Numerous other conservative hosts said that. I know for a fact Sean Hannity said that. You don't want to quote him either. Could it be that you were a bit late to the party supporting Trump? You know how they are. Late to arrive, early to leave. That wasn't him. He was supporting Trump from day one. When people like yourself and Glenn Beck and others said that ain't the way to go. Is that something that. Is that something? That's why you can't vibe. Am I missing something, Ben Shapiro. I'm a moderate who can lean in either direction. I have friends on both sides. I might have voted liberal. The vast majority of my life, pretty much always when it comes to the presidency. But I'm not beyond acknowledging that some conservative policies work and some conservative people are better candidates, damn sure, for sure than those on the, on the liberal side. Somebody like a Byron Donald, if he runs for the governor, for the governor of Florida, I'll probably vote for him. I'd vote for Westmore, the Democrat for the president any day of the week. That has nothing to do with this conversation. Ben Shapiro. The knee of Derek Chauvin was on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes as he said he couldn't breathe, as he cried for his mama and as numerous people were there filming it and taking pictures, pleading with the police officer to get his knee off his neck. He didn't move. He did everything short of laughing in people's face while he at the very least contributed to snatching the breath of life from this man. And you're coming to us with a criminal record and Fentanyl or whatever other drugs was in his system to say, well that's not, that's what really killed him. Not the knee on the neck. Well, if the knee hadn't been on his neck, would he had died in that instance right there. It's not like he died because he was laying on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back. That's not what happened. He died because there was pressure on his back and his neck from Chauvin and other officers. That's what happened. Don't come to me with all of this stuff. Don't accuse me, you know, identity politics and liberals and we're racializing everything. If a black police officer had his knee on George Floyd's neck for nine and nine plus minutes, there would have still been riots in the streets at that time period. All I'm saying is of all the things you could think of as deserving for a pardon for somebody incarcerated, this is the case. You could try to bring up left and right and all that stuff. I'm not bringing up conservatism, I'm not bringing up liberalism, I'm not bringing up progressivism. I'm bringing up you. You with this issue, nothing else. I don't know enough about your other positions, but I know you're strong supporter of Israel is where you should be. I get your background, I understand. I know you're a strong conservative. Free market capitalism, controlling our borders, safety, I get it. This ain't about liberal versus conservatives, it's about you. You saw what Derek Chauvin did. Don't come to me with a doctor's report. You saw it with your own two eyes. That's all this is about. So to the Ben Shapiro listeners and viewers out there, keep on watching them. Keep on supporting him. I'm not here to cast any Asperger on him. Just don't let him get away with trying to make this more than what it is. This ain't a politically ideological battle. Political ideological battle or anything like that. I ain't qualified to debate this man on those kind of issues. We're talking about Derek Chauvin with the knee on the neck of George Floyd and you come in with some report to justify him being pardoned when you saw the video of the man with his knee on George Floyd's neck saying about politics, this is about you. Deal with that or don't. Either way, I don't care. I just spoke about what I saw. You're entitled to do the same anytime you want. I respect the resume. I respect your accomplishments. I wish you nothing but the best. I just disagree with you about Derek Chauvin. Stop trying to hide from that. Talking about Derek Chauvin. That's what we're talking about. Nothing else. Coming up. After 138 days, the time came for me to join the fellas on Gill's Arena. My nephew Josh will join me to react to that discussion. Plus there's now audio of the Jane Doe in the Jay Z sexual assault lawsuit telling investigators she was pushed to name the mogul in her lawsuit. Damn. But first he fought Javante Tank Davis in what was ruled a majority drill. Now he's coming on this show to make his case for that rematch, that imminent rematch. I'm talking to the one and Only Lamont Roach Jr. Former featherweight champion of the world. Some people's eyes should be the light weight champion in the world. He's up next right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Go away.

[Hunter]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tameka Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez, she was in contact with several people talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction. But Tameka never bought the car and she never returned home that day. One podcast, one mission. Save our girls. Join the search as we Explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered black women and girls. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Our iHeartRadio Music Awards are coming back Monday, March 17th, on Fox. Starring Bad Bunny Glorilla, Kenny Chesney, Money.

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Long Nelly, your host, iheartradio LL Cool J.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Are you guys ready to have some fun tonight?

[Talkspace Advertiser]

Plus, I heart innovator award recipient Lady.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Gaga, I heart icon award recipient Mariah.

[Hunter]

Carey, and I heart breakthrough award recipient Gracie Abrams.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Watch live on Fox, Monday, March 17th.

[Hunter]

At 8, 7 Central.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith show, Ladies and gentlemen, at the beginning of this March, March 1st, I'm not gonna lie, I expected to see a knockout. I expected to see it come at the hands of Javante Tank Davis against a dude that I thought was undersized, that I thought was not on the same level. And my God, was I wrong. So I thought it was apropos that on this particular day, more than a week after Lamont Roach showed up at the Barclays center in Brooklyn, New York, and let everybody know, yo, I'm no joke either. Y'all must. Y'all don't know who the hell I am. I'm here to intro to reintroduce him to the world. A guy that many believe should be the lightweight champion of the world in the sport of boxing. The one and only Lamont Roach joins me right now. What's going on, man? How you doing? How's everything?

[Lamont Roach]

I'm good, my brother. I'm good, man. How are you?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Look, look, man, let me get this out the way I thought. Listen, here was my thinking. You're a former featherweight champion. You undersized, you moving up. I saw 10 KOs, you were 25. And, oh, with 10 KO. 25:1, rather, with 10 KOs on your record. And I said, damn, an undersized dude is going into the ring with Javante Tank Davis. Man, I don't like this. He's undersized. This is not fair. This is not fair at all. And then you stepped in the ring. You didn't look undersized. You certainly weren't devoid of skill. And in a lot of people's eyes, including myself, if you take into account him taking the knee, one could easily argue you should have won this fight. I owe you an apology, my brother. I did not know because I had never really seen you fight before, because I ain't watching a bunch of featherweights. I'm a busy man, and I never really saw you before other than highlights to watch you in that fight. You walked to Javante Davis from day from open and tap and you were marvelous, my brother. Congratulations. I was wrong, damn it. I was wrong. Lamont wrote america, this is who this brother is. My apologies, my brother, my apologies, man.

[Lamont Roach]

It's all good. Just like how you had your prediction. A lot of others had the same thing and it's to your point, like you said, a lot of people haven't seen me and that's, that's the whole thing. I always knew that I was on the same level as, as a Jamante, Tank Davis or anybody that's a top pound for pound talent because I put my work in. I've been here for a long time. I'm a student of the game and I'm always getting better and I always try to be the best. So that's what really drives me and the fact that we have history. So, you know, it's just like a whole lot of that went hand in hand, you know, it was my moment. I've been telling everybody since the fight got announced, I've been telling everyone, if you go look at all my interviews, all my pre fight, you know, talks, I've been, I've been telling y'all like I'm, I'm really, I'm really dead.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, damn right you are. You convinced me I'm no longer a doubter. Let me be, let me be very, very clear about that. But when you say y'all have history, re educate us about that. What, what is the history with Javante, Tank Davis or what was it leading up to this fight?

[Lamont Roach]

Well, we probably met each other when I was probably like 10, he A year older than me, so he's probably like 11. I started boxing after him, but so when I came into boxing, 9 year old, 10 year old, I already knew who he was because he was already a, you know, saying like a self proclaimed good fighter in the area, D.C. and Baltimore, you know, they fight, they fight each other or fight in the same, you know, tournaments, the local tournaments. So I've been seeing them since a kid. We sparred, we sparred a lot, probably 13, 14, and then we fought. We finally fought when we was fit when I was 15 and you know, he beat me. But I thought, you know, I thought I won. You know, we sent a video to USA Boxing, like the entire fight and they were like, well maybe that shouldn't have went that way. So they sent me an at large bid to the nationals and they Put us on two different sides of the bracket, and we met up in the championship and he beat me in a close fight. I think I won that one, too, but he beat me in a close fight, number one or two in the nation. So leading up to that fight, mind you, I already know his tendencies, and just because he's evolved as a fighter, period, like, obviously one of the best fighters in the world, he's evolved as a fighter, but so have I. And the fact that I know certain things about him, like how to me, I think he tends to doubt himself. He even told you on the gloves off special that his fear is getting embarrassed or losing you. This is not the sport to be fearful in that you got to be a gladiator. This is a gladiator sport. So I know certain things about him that, you know, that our game plan was. Was drawn up around and, you know, we executed it to the, to the team.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What was your game plan going into this fight? Because I, you know, listen, let me, Let me, Let me preface my question to you by saying this because I think it'll give you an appreciation for where I'm coming from. So he's getting ready to fight Frank Martin, right? And Frank Martin is annoying the living hell out of him because he's telling, you know, telling a story about how they were sparring and he shook him up a little bit or whatever. And Javante was like, oh, he said that that never happened. That never happened. And then he looked at him, and this is when I knew Frank Martin was in trouble. He said, you, you. You really, really should have waited. You took this fight a little bit too early. You really, really should have waited. And that's what Javante Davis said to him. And sure enough, the fight began and he instantly stalked Frank Martin. Whereas with you, I was expecting the same. With you, bro Lamont, I was expecting, you know, I'm thinking. I'm thinking you the smaller guy in the ring that is, you know, and I'm like, he's going to come out, he's going to back up Javante, going to go right at him. He going to stalk him. But one, I interviewed Javante before the fight, and he didn't talk about you the way he talked about. About Frank Martin. And number two, once the fight started, you walked right to him. I said, oh, shit, what. What is this? You know, I'm like, what's going on here? So talk to me. What was the strategy going into the fight against?

[Lamont Roach]

The strategy was just be confident and do what I know how to Do I got a lot of tools in my tool bag? I can fight on the back foot. I can fight coming forward, but my comfort zone is right there in that pocket. And, you know, once I took his best shot, I already knew. It was like. I was like, all right, it's gonna be a long night for him because at the end of the day, that's where I'm. That's where I'm at my best when I'm. When I'm right there in that pocket. Like, trust me, I got other facets in my game that I'm very good at, but, right. I'm the most confident right there in the pocket. And then once I knew he couldn't bother me, like, I still had to be cautious because I. I see why he knocked people out, but I. When I took his best shot, I was like, oh, yeah, it's over.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, stop right there. When exactly do you say you took his best shot? Which round did that happen in?

[Lamont Roach]

I want to say like, five or six. I know. One shot he hit me with. I know he was so. One shot he hit me with. I kind of knew he was gonna punch me. Like, I seen it. I jabbed him. I jabbed at him, and I already seen him going back. I was like, oh, I'm about to get hit. And he did. He actually punched me. But he took the power off and let the speed. He let the speed take over. So I'm like, oh, he's not trying to thump. I'm like, let me see. Let me see what he. What he trying to do. And then I think in the fifth round or something like that, he was talking trash, was like, I thought you hit harder than that. And I was like, I thought you hit harder than that, too. And that's when he. That's when he loaded up on, like, some body shot. And I was like, oh, yeah, like, power wise, I'm gonna have. For me. But one thing he is. I mean, let me not say that. But one thing he's very good at is being accurate and hitting people on the chin. So. And I think that's what plays into my game where all around, I think I'm the better fighter, the best. The best fighter he's been in the ring with. But defensively, I know 100 for a fact that I'm very. I'm better defensively than any fighter he's fought. And that's what played into. That's what played a big role into the fight. A lot of stuff. I was blocking, parrying, hitting gloves and Countering.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So when you say, you know, you're the best defensive fighter he ever fought, do you believe in his eyes that you were preparation, say, for somebody like Shakur Stevenson, who's considered to be a marvelous defensive fighter, do you think that's what he was thinking or that's what he was doing in this particular fight?

[Lamont Roach]

No, and I'm gonna tell you why. He had two guys in his corner. Well, everybody in this corner was very familiar with me, but Barry Hunter and Big Bug that he bought in to be the lead trainers in his camp. Very familiar with me. My last two, three camps before the Tank camp, I was over there sparring for damn near every fight. So, yeah. So, you know, they seen. They know what I can do, like they do. And I think 100 for a fact. They told him, like, all right, you know, we gonna work on what we gonna work on, but you better. That's a. Like, that's a bad boy. They forewarned him. Like. And. And he knows, too. Like, he knows boxing. Like, he know. He knows. He can see. He can see. Like, I'm not champion for a reason. Like, I'm not champion for no reason.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right?

[Lamont Roach]

I beat the same guy he beat.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No.

[Lamont Roach]

And I thought it was pretty, you know, he didn't do the same things that he did to Tank. Hector, Luis Garcia. Louise Garcia was in the pocket when he fought Tank. When he was fighting me, he was on cat and mouse, trying to get in and out and stuff like that. And it's just, like, I just. I shut down a lot of things that a lot of. A lot of fighters have. And that's. That's what I'm good at.

[Stephen A. Smith]

When he took a knee, what was that about? I mean, it's one thing for us to sit up here and say, yo, he took a knee. We really didn't see him hurt or whatever. It's one thing for him to say he had got his hair done and some grease got in his eye, whatever. And listen, he's too great for me to question whether he's telling the truth or not, but that's me. You're the one that's in the ring, that was in the ring with him. You're the champion. Why did Javante Davis take that knee in your. In your opinion?

[Lamont Roach]

In one of his many answers, he did say that his eye was irritated. I'm. I'm gonna tell you right now, it wasn't from no Greece or nothing like that. You. This was the ninth round. It's seven, eight. This is eight other rounds. Where you didn't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You.

[Lamont Roach]

You wasn't wiping your eyes, you wasn't irritated. None of that. Not trying to hear that. When I punched him in one, you could see it when I hit him with the right hand, the first right hand. You could see him wipe his. His left eye. When I hit him with that second jab that actually hit him in his eye, he wiped it out. I mean, he tried to wipe it like it was irritated. He backed up, looked at the ref, and took a knee. That's from a punch. And even if. Even if I didn't land that, you cannot voluntarily take a knee. You can't. That's the rule. That's given. That's giving yourself up. That's like, okay, I need a break. You can't take a break in the middle of a ramp. Only the referee can stop the action.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So with that being said, it's fair to say you believe you won this fight, that you should be the lightweight champion of the world. Is the aspiration a rematch with him, or is it the biggest fight you can find at the lightweight division? Some could argue it's him. You know, I think it's him, but who knows what you, as a fighter think in terms of cats at 140? Because the way you moved up to 135, I mean, damn, I can't rule out you going to fight at 140. Whether it's. I look at you and I say, you could beat Devin Haney. You know, you, you, you. I'd love to see you against Shakur Stevenson. I mean, tfimo Lopez at 1:40. I mean, I. I'm. Lamont Roach is on the map right now. That's where I'm at. And in a lightweight division, and in that area, junior welterweight, lightweight division, I don't want to hear anybody talking about anybody else without your name being in the mix. That's official right now. So is the rematch with Javante Davis your top priority, or is it something else?

[Lamont Roach]

The rematch is definitely my. My top priority, and it's close to being a done deal. Just to let you guys know, you know, we're in talks, so I don't want anybody to say, oh, I'm ducking a rematch or anything like that. That's my top priority. So if we don't fight, it's something on the end. I'm tell y'all that right now. If we don't fight, it's something on it. And my first contract had a rematch clause in it. So with the first fight, in case he lost or in case he drew. In case we drew, there's a immediate rematch clause in effect. So that's how, that's what it is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What do you think you're going to see? I mean, is it one of those situations where you think he's going to come out, assume. I'm assuming the rematch is going to happen because I give him credit for this As a champion who was undefeated and had all the sizzle in his direction in terms of name recognition and all of that. He's the one that brought up the rematch instantly. Before they even interviewed you, they interviewed him first and he didn't run from a rematch. He was like, let's do it again. So I'm going to give him credit for that. Do you think that was his way of saying, this ain't the best of me. I really wasn't as ready as I'm going to be in fight number two. Or do you think you're gonna see more of the same?

[Lamont Roach]

I'm gonna go ahead and negate that. This, this isn't the best of me. He fought a, he fought a good fight. It's just that I was the better man that night.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, I'm not saying I'm not Lamont. I'm not saying, I'm not saying, I'm saying that, I'm saying have given that indication. Yeah, yeah.

[Lamont Roach]

Nah, for sure. Like if anything, if anything, he fought a damn good fight. If he didn't fight a good fighter off him with a, I would have did a lot more damage. I'm gonna tell you that right now. He was fully aware. He was trying to be as defensively, as sound as possible, you know, he was trying to preserve himself. He fighting spurts, you know, and that's how he get a lot of them guys, he get a lot of them guys to, to wear themselves out and then next, you know, he doing the hunt. I'm, I'm an old school fighter, bro. I'm like a 15 round fighter. I can fight. I could fight for 15 rounds straight and at the rate that I do, no, no, no pulling no punches or nothing. So I would say he's going to come back with, he's going to come back with a vengeance. He's going to come back with a vengeance. He's not a guy that, that, that is, that would take lightly to a draw, a loss, whatever the case may be. He's not used to people ridiculing him, saying they, they think he lost a fight or he's not used to that. So I think he comes back with a vengeance. I think he comes back with a better game plan. But trust me, trust me when I tell you I'm gonna come back the same way because I feel like I was robbed of a victory. So I gotta get, I gotta do what I gotta do to make sure the job is complete.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And what will we see different from you in a rematch than we saw on March 1?

[Lamont Roach]

Just to press the action just a little bit more earlier, I'm still, I'm still confused as to how the, the judges, all three judges gave him five of the first six rounds. Five of the first six, six rounds and I still managed to get a draw. It's no way he won round one, no way he won round two. And round three could have been a toss up. But if I win those two rounds on the scorecard again, I still win a unanimous decision. It's no way. He didn't land a punch until the third round. He threw about three punches. One or two, like two or three punches the first two rounds. So I'm trying to figure out if I'm the aggressor. I'm initiating the action. I'm on the front foot and, and I'm securing. You know, I'm saying like little shots. They might not have been big, huge scoring blows, but I'm the only one that's landing. How do you win those rounds? So, so that's a, that's the thing that I probably capitalize on and hopefully to make him pick up his, his output too. We'll see how, we're gonna see how he really work. If, if he gonna pick his output up, he ain't gonna have no choice. I'm gonna make him work. I'm gonna make him think and I'm gonna make him work. That's what we did the first fight.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's the outcome of the second fight? The rematch.

[Lamont Roach]

Lamont Rose and the new two time Division 2 division champion, Lamar Rose Jr.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yo, bro, nobody fights for free these days. At least they shouldn't. Everybody should get paid. You deserve it. My brother. I apologize. I, I thought you. Listen, I thought, I thought I was gonna see a smaller fighter stepping into the ring against Tank Davis. And I thought he was gonna take you out inside of seven rounds, bro. Until I saw you enter the ring. Until I saw you. I said, he's not smaller. He's not smaller. And then all of a sudden, and then you walk right to him and then I saw you take his punch. I said, oh my God, who is this dude? Mad love and Respect to you. You deserve it. No doubt about it. You on the map. I ain't no question. Get your paper because you deserve it. Make sure you're gonna do this rematch right. You gonna get paid more, right? Make sure that.

[Lamont Roach]

Michelle. Michelle.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right.

[Lamont Roach]

It's gonna be. It's gonna be one of the most sought out fights of the year. You got. Gotta think we got a superstar. Javonte Tank Davis power puncher and piggybacking off the first fight. What else could you expect? So it's gonna be fireworks.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Lamar Roach, appreciate you, my brother. Proud of you. Happy for you. Happy your name is on the map and you know you're gonna have that rematch against devonte. That's gonna be one of the biggest fights, if not the biggest fight of the year. Once it's agreed upon, there's no question about it. You deserve it. You deserve this reach this rematch, my brother. You deserve it. And you deserve all the praise you getting because of it. I got to stand down and give it to you. And I don't like to do that. I don't like to do that unless it's earned. It was earned in your case, bro. Much love to you. Well deserved, my man. I'll see you around. All right. You take care of yourself, all right?

[Lamont Roach]

Thank you. I appreciate it greatly. You take care of yourself, too.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No doubt. One only Lamont Roach right here on Stephen A. Smith Show. Brother can fight, Fight. Brother can fight, y'all. Ain't some situation where you know he caught him and rocked him or what? No, nah. He stepped in the ring from round one to round 12, stood right in front of him and boxed his ass off. It's just the truth. It's just the truth. Coming up, I'll pay tribute to a former NBA sixth man who became a billionaire in his post NBA career. You all need to know the story of Junior Bridgman straight ahead. Also, a attorney Tony Busby could be in hot water after his client was recorded saying Jay Z did not sexually assault her. But first, highlights from my appearance on Gill's arena yesterday. And my nephew Josh has some thoughts to share on what he saw. All that and more up next right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Don't go away. Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. Now let's get to my much anticipated appearance on A Gil's arena podcast. To be clear, those aren't my words. This came from the crew who accused me of ducking the show for more than 138 days. So yesterday, I sat down with Gilbert Arenas, Kenyon Martin, Rashad McCants, and Nick Young, and of course, Josiah Johnson. For nearly three hours, we talked about several topics, including my run in with LeBron James, where everyone seems to have an opinion. Of course. So check this out before I bring in my next guest.

[Unknown]

What do you make of LeBron confronting you in the aftermath of that situation?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I thought it was weak. I thought it was some bullshit. But in the moment, I knew that I was listening to a father. I remember during a timeout in the first quarter, seeing Bronny, and Bronny looked over at me and he had this sad look on his face, and I'm imagining, Pop saw that shit. It hit him. Yeah. And he couldn't hold it, and he rolled up on me.

[Unknown]

Isn't it weak, though? Like, when you think about it, you know, he wasn't ready. Right. As a father. As a father, you're still a father to your son. You're still trying to praise them and make them feel like they're worthy of playing basketball because they can get discouraged.

[Stephen A. Smith]

At any moment in time.

[Unknown]

Right. So I'm pretty sure every game, he's over the line. You got it. Don't worry about it. Just go out there, play your game. That's that part of it. The NBA part knows he's not ready yet. Right, Right. But as the father part, him sitting there nervous and shit, you go, no, no.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hey, relax.

[Unknown]

You gonna go out there and play. At what point when he gets drafted, 55, do you supposed to sit back and be like, all right, there's nothing to talk about here. He's 55. He wasn't 17. He wasn't a first round. His draft status actually let you know what he was.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All he had to do is this. Listen, I got this moment with my son, all right? Now it's time to go to the G League and do what you doing.

[Unknown]

And we'll see next year. Or let the draft happen organically. And if somebody's gonna draft them, let them draft.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like, you never know.

[Unknown]

Just for shits and giggles. Right, right. What if somebody at 44 wanted to pick him? I'm just shits and giggles. No, I get right. Everybody at 44 wanted to pick him, right? Yes. So you gonna stop? Yes. Yes. Hold on. Cause he wants to play with his kid. He don't want to see his kids. He don't want to see his kid in the NBA. Okay. He wants to play on the street. I think we're missing. Yeah, that's way different. That's way different. And here's why my son could have died. Yes. I've been in the league 21 years.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right.

[Unknown]

So what is the dream?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hold on.

[Unknown]

I've been in the league 21 years. What is Bronny's dream? I. To be in the NBA.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

I've been in the league 21 years. I missed 19 to 20 years of his life. You know how we are as parents. We're in, we're out. We're in, we're out. My firstborn, with my name almost passed.

[H]

Yep.

[Unknown]

And you're telling me that I'm going to keep playing this league to miss this? Fuck no. This is going to be the first time in my career where I get 360 fucking 5 days with my son. But what is Bronny's dream? Bronny's dream was to be in the NBA. My dream was this. I don't give a fuck where I get drafted. I just want want to hear my name. So therefore, what I'm saying is that was his dream. Let that happen organically. Listen, I told y'all sitting on this, I was a bigger wreck on KJ's draft day than he was.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right?

[Unknown]

Right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

For sure.

[Unknown]

You shouldn't be a bigger wreck. I'm trying to stay away from him. Right. Cuz I don't want him to sense this shit.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right?

[Unknown]

Right. So, yeah, I wanted more than he fucking wanted. Right? Absolutely. But it's his dream and his journey is what I'm saying. His only dream was to hear his name.

[H]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Hear his name called. I'm with you. I'm saying yes, Gil. Yes, absolutely. Hear his name called by. For any fucking team.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right?

[Unknown]

For any team.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Which means that when we're talking about the lakers, that's about LeBron, not Bronny. Bronny wanted to get drafted by any NBA team. He wanted to hear his name. It was LeBron that wanted him as his teammate. But LeBron up here and he know he up here, he don't give a fuck. The problem is, when it come to the media, goddammit, I'm up here. We all know what happened with me and LeBron. All right? I don't give a shit if I never speak to him again in life. And I'm sure he feel the same way if that man had something going on in Akron, Ohio, with the kids or out here with the kids. Yo, man, we need Steve and a help. What you need? It ain't got nothing to do with us. What you need? I don't need to say anymore. That encapsulated everything I was there for three hours, quite frankly. Tired of talking about is what it is. You know, everybody knows where I stand now, what happened, and that's that. But my nephew was there. He was in the house, and he was out there in LA with me. And for a change, he wasn't styling and profiling. He was just there hanging with his uncle, listening intently for a change. And I was very, very proud of him for doing that. I actually like his outfit right now. It kind of looks nice. What's going on, Josh? How you doing, man?

[H]

Nothing much. Just being rich and, you know, living life. You got on my shirt today.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No, this isn't mine, Josh.

[H]

All right, well, this is my shirt.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Listen, it's my shirt.

[H]

Slow down on the creatine and the muscle milk. You're busting out of it. That's not your size. But what we talking about?

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's not my style. That's not my style.

[H]

It's not your size. It's not your size. WWE shirt.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's my size. It is my size.

[H]

I'm trying to show your cuts in there. I don't appreciate it. It's a sports show.

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's because you not in the gym. You too busy looking pretty. And you looking in the mirror all the dag all the time. I got news for you. If you went to the gym, you would notice there's a lot of mirrors there so you could look at yourself all the time. You should try it.

[H]

No, I don't want to waste my time. I got other things to do with this body anyway. What are you talking about? Oh, the Gilbert Arenas.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What did you do? You were there for the whole damn near three hour interview. What were your thoughts of it?

[H]

Man, I felt like y'all wasted a little bit too much time on that WWE moment. We know nothing was gonna happen at the Crypto arena, but I wanted y'all to talk about. Cause I watch the show all the time. They good at, you know, arguing the talent versus greatness. Cause that's where I come in. Because I don't value all of, like the rings and the all NBA teams that y'all vote for and stuff like that. I go off of what I see. So I wanted you to go on there, and I wanted all of y'all to put. Put together like a starting 5 of plays, minus the accomplishments. Just about how nice a player is. And when I say nice, we from New York, so nice is different. Stephon Marbury, Kenny Anderson, like, just nice. Not your resume. So if I asked you to give me Five. What would it be? We not talking rings, we not talking resumes. Just nice. 5. And don't put Earl of Pearl Monroe in there.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Just nice. But when you say just nice, I could retort by asking the question, Josh, are you talking one on one? Are you talking five on five team NBA basketball? What are you talking about?

[H]

No, no, no. It comes in the lines of an NBA player.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Player.

[H]

Like I said, when I name nice, I'm talking Kevin Durant, who's not in a goat conversation. But if you want to talk about the nicest players that you've ever seen play, he's in the top five.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't disagree with that. I think that Kevin Durant is maybe the greatest scorer we've ever seen.

[H]

Right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He's a professional scorer. He's something. He's something special to behold. I don't have a problem with that.

[H]

But you want to put him in your top five with his resume.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let me ask you a question. Would you put him ahead of Kobe?

[H]

I would. They in the top five? Kevin Durant would be my.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay. All right. Would you put LeBron in the top five?

[H]

Nah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You wouldn't put LeBron in the top five?

[H]

Nah, I'm doing it. Position. Kevin Durant is the nicest small forward I've ever seen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So you'd put Kevin Durant ahead of LeBron?

[H]

As far as being nice, yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You'd put Kobe Bryant in top five. So who would you. So where would you put Jordan?

[H]

He. Not he. He wasn't nice like that. That's the resume talking right there. The six for six and stuff. Like if we seen him playing in the park, we picking Kobe.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We.

[H]

Not. Not 24. Kobe 8. Kobe. Athletic. Still dunking jumpers. I'm not with the Jordan stuff, and you know that, Josh.

[Stephen A. Smith]

There's nobody that would pick Michael Jordan. They saw Michael Jordan. There's nobody that would pick Michael Jordan. That would pick anybody ahead of Michael Jordan.

[H]

Yes. If this talking skills. Not the 6 foot 6 in the.

[Stephen A. Smith]

If you saw. If you saw. If you saw Michael Jordan.

[H]

I seen him.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You would not pick anybody ahead of Michael Jordan.

[H]

Telling me my opinion. This what I'm talking about with this media stuff. All right, so you got two more. Who's the point guard?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Who's your power forward?

[H]

Giannis. Yeah. I don't want to tune jump hooks all day. I don't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So in other words. So in other words, Jan is dunking on everybody but struggling to do almost anything else. No, I mean, you pick up.

[H]

He only can't shoot. He Gets his own shot on a fast break. He'll run it by himself. He's dunking on you. He used to shoot a little bit.

[Lamont Roach]

He.

[H]

Not even. He don't even want to shoot no more. I'm Shaquille O'Neal now. I'm wearing number 34.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you taking out rings because Tim Duncan's got five rings. So you're just taking out rings. Okay.

[Lamont Roach]

All right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I got it matters.

[H]

I want to. Want to see you play. I don't want to see jump hooks.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right. What.

[Lamont Roach]

Where.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Where's Kevin Garnett? Where would he be in that?

[H]

Not better than Giannis, but he. Right. He probably be second.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, and your center is who got.

[H]

Got to go with Joker?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Jokic.

[H]

Yeah. Most skill.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I mean, the way he looks in this day and age. Used to walk in triple double. I mean, you know, we come from the days Kareem Abdul Jabbar. You. You take him over Shaq, too, right? That's what you're saying? You know, Shaq was the dominant force of our life.

[H]

Shaq would be second. Kareem ain't even.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Who's your point guard?

[H]

Josh Seth. That was easy.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yep. Okay. All right. All right. What else did you take from the Gilbert Arenas interview?

[H]

It was a little lengthy, and I seen him looking at me like they wanted me to come on the stage, but I gave y'all. Y'all moment. I'm like, let me have y'all moment. It was missing me for sure, though. Three hours. No me. That was crazy. I got some new laws here, too. You want to take it at it?

[Stephen A. Smith]

You got some what?

[H]

Some new laws for When? When we 20, 28. I saw a year. We got the money now. Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Laws.

[H]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Do I have to listen to this?

[H]

I mean, you don't have to. This one is for the women. These are for the women. I need. I need the women to wake up a little bit. So I'm gonna get started. If you're gonna interrupt me, make sure it counts. New female lords. I'm trying to fix America one relationship at a time. This is how y'all talk when it's the presidency. Like this. Yeah. If you talk while the game is on, you're getting fined on Sundays. We're gonna honor something called selective listening, meaning I'm listening a little bit. Make it count when you talk.

[Lamont Roach]

Hold it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I like that one.

[H]

You like that one, right?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I do like that one.

[Lamont Roach]

I do.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You would. I like that one. I like that one. Okay, go ahead. Go ahead. Dead clock is right twice a Day, everyone to the blue moon cycle three times here.

[H]

I'll be right there. Emotional range act. Yeah. Appreciate your role. Let me tell you a story. So I had a living situation, right? I had a living situation. The girl cooked. Hold on. The girl cooked, we ate. Then she like, you know, I'm going to bed now. I'm tired. Oh, you not gonna do the dishes? I cook.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Oh.

[H]

So we go on tiff and tat. All right, I'll do the dishes and then we go to bed. Somebody bangs on the door. They play like that in the hood. Bangs on the door. Oh, my God, somebody's at the door. So I roll over. I'm like, all right, well, you let me know who it is. It's your turn. I did the dishes. I'm saying we going turn for turn. Either appreciate your role or not. What we doing here? Last one. Privacy act. You touch my phone, you're going to jail. And I want to know who's wrong first. Get up and sit up at the mic, because I started a show on YouTube, the Josh Smith Show. Everybody want to know where to find me. They want advice and stuff like that. I am an advisor. You can catch me on YouTube. You too. So I have one last question, though. I see your face, you look a little confused. I have a question.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You started a YouTube show without my permission?

[H]

Permission, that's right. You paid for it. Yeah. So look, one last question, right? So the privacy. The Privacy Act. I wanna know this. If a girl goes through my phone, finds out that I might have cheated, who was wrong first?

[Stephen A. Smith]

You.

[H]

Why am I wrong first?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Because you cheated.

[H]

She violated my privacy and found out I cheated. So who's wrong first?

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you cheated. Came before the violation.

[H]

She don't know that.

[Unknown]

You. You.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You.

[Unknown]

You.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But the cheat. But you know that. You said who? You said what was first. You know what you did.

[H]

No, but I. But I asked you what was first. Who was wrong first? Was. Was she wrong? You knew she didn't know that I did it. She went through my phone first.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But you knew. You knew.

[H]

Okay, so when she was doing little sneaky ninja moves to figure out my code and stuff like that, with was that wrong? Was that wrong? What about me being asleep and her checking my breathing?

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's wrong. If she can't deal with what she's liable to find out because what she should do is get rid of your ass.

[H]

Okay, I shouldn't get rid of her.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But the point is, if she elects not to. You understand? And then you just digging in there, and then you messing with your own conscience and your own stress or your own tranquility. You're really messing with it then. That's problematic. But it doesn't absolve you.

[H]

I ain't say I was absolved. I just said who was wrong first. She went through my phone and violated my privacy. You always taking up for them. But I see why when you come back to town. I'm tired of this split screen stuff.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You like sitting in my seat? You wouldn't be sitting there if I wasn't there. If I was there, you wouldn't be sitting there. So you should be happy.

[H]

I do. But I do want to go back to la, though.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah. You could go next year, next week. Get the hell out of here next week. I got stuff to finish up the show. Me. Bye. Go. Just go. Just go. Let's get into Jay Z and the latest news on a woman who withdrew her suit alleging that he and Sean Diddy Combs raped her when she was just 13 years of age. ABC News recently obtained a recording where the woman confirms Jay Z did not assault her and says her lawyer, Tony Busby, pushed her to sue him. Here's a portion of the recording between the woman identified as Jane Doe and two private investigators associated with Jay Z, also known as Shawn Carter.

[Lamont Roach]

But Jay Z was. You're saying he was definitely there, but he had no part in it or he was just.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He was there. He was just there. But he didn't have anything to do with the. Any sexual acts towards you? It was strictly.

[Hunter]

Yeah, he was the one that kind.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Of pushed me towards going forward with him with Jay Z. Busby did, yeah. Do you know why? No. Meanwhile, Busby called the idea that he pushed her into suing Jay Z, quote, a blatant lie, end quote. He says, quote, as far as the suggestion that I push Jane Doe to bring a case against Jay Z, that is a blatant lie that is directly contrary to. To all the documentary evidence, end quote. Jane Doe has said in a sworn declaration she stands by her claims and dropped her lawsuit because of, quote, fear of intimidation and retaliation from Jay Z, end quote, and his fans. She also denied telling the investigators Busby sought her out as a client or that he encouraged her to pursue a false claim against Jay Z, end quote. This is all over the place. You got reports saying that, you know, recording saying that, you know, Jay Z didn't do anything. A recording from her saying that she was forced to implicate Jay Z by attorney Tony Busby. Then she comes out in the aftermath of it all and says she stands by her claims after Busby obviously says the assertions and the accusations are ridiculous and he did no such thing. He didn't compel or force her to do anything. He's been a guest on this show. It's not my job to cast dispersions on him or anybody else. I could tell you that I never believed that Jay Z would be guilty of such a thing. Case has been dropped and there's a lot going on. But in the end his reputation was smeared. And I think that what we're seeing right now is Jay Z setting the framework to go after Busby. The Jay Z that I know I don't see lying down and just going away, walking away from all of this. His name was blemished big time and he lost $20 million in business. So he says. But most importantly, one could easily have argued it would have been difficult for him to walk into rooms and do business with such an allegation and an assertion being labeled against him. He's not somebody that's going to take that line down. I just don't see it. I really, really, really don't see it. So to me, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Moore's coming down the pike. He is not going to go away. And the more the Jane Doe, the more Tony Busby deny it, the stronger he's going to come. He's not going to fade into the twilight and just let this go. Maybe he will, but I doubt it. I really, really doubt it. Before I get on out of here. Very, very sad note to bring up. Somebody deserves a tribute. He really, really does. And you need to know about him. Former NBA player, a billionaire. Air. His name is not Michael Jordan. It is not LeBron James. But you need to know about him nevertheless. Stick around. We'll close out the Stephen A. Smith show in a minute. Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show. Our last topic today is a tribute to Junior Bridgman, former NBA player, NBA legend who passed away yesterday after suffering a medical emergency during an event in Louisville, Kentucky. Bridgman was a former NBA sixth man who rose from modest means to becoming a billionaire in his post playing days. He was also a philanthropist and was recently named as a minority owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. Walking around in the NBA today, when we think about somebody like an Irvin Magic Johnson and what he's been able to establish and build for himself in the world of business. When we think about Michael Jordan and the Jordan Brown, what it has become. When we think about the off court excellence of the late great Kobe Bryant in terms of some of his entrepreneurial achievements and accomplishments. Think about LeBron James, billionaire in his own right and what he's been able to accomplish. Whenever anybody in NBA talked about somebody who made it big, they talked about Junior Bridgman. How much of a pioneer he was in that regard. Longtime franchisee of Wendy's and Chili's restaurants, at one time operating more than 450 locations in 20 different states. Became a bottler for Coca Cola, bought Ebony and Jet magazines. Part of a foursome that owns the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville. Served on the boards of Churchill Downs Racetrack, University of Louisville and Fifth Third bank, among others. What do you say? Obviously, NBA players weren't making much money in the 70s and he wasn't a superstar basketball player. Matter of fact, he spent the first several years of his career not even starting. But he was a solid player. Career 13 point per game scorer, played for Milwaukee the first 10 years of his career, the Clippers the last two. I've never seen anybody in NBA circle so universally respected and revered because of his business acumen and his business accomplishments. And on a day like today, we take a moment to pay homage to those achievements when we think about what we aspire to be taking our money, no matter how little it is, investing it, allowing it to nurture and grow ultimately to the point where we achieve astronomical wealth. We see it today with player salaries. We see it in rare occasions in the world of business with former athletes. Practically never have we seen it before be jump started by a guy came from modest means, wasn't even a superstar in the NBA, but it was a superstar to the superstars because of what he was able to parlay that NBA career into. To his wonderful wife Doris, to his children Eden, Justin and Ryan. On behalf of everybody here associated with the Stephen A. Smith show and of course the entire NBA community and beyond, my deepest condolences and sympathies for your loss. Junior Bridgman was someone special gone, but he will never ever be forgotten. That's it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, peace and love. God bless.

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's up everyone? Julie swearbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.

[Ben Shapiro]

We're doing a new podcast together.

[Unknown]

Here we go.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right? Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us. Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.