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The Stephen A. Smith Show
Full Show: Mark Cuban has a lot to say! Ja Morant, finger-gun gesture, not cool.
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- [00:00]
Thumbtack
Thumbtack presents the ins and outs of caring for your home. Out procrastination, putting it off, kicking the can down the road in plans and guides that make it easy to get home projects done. Out carpet in the bathroom like why? In knowing what to do, when to do it and who to hire. Start caring for your home with confidence. Download Thumbtack today at&t has a new.
- [00:28]
Stephen A. Smith
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.comguaranty for details. Welcome to this 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. Got a lot of stuff to get into today. Got a great, great interview that I'm looking forward to. The one and only Mark Cuban talking to him about the NBA, his ownership of the Dallas Mavericks, a whole bunch of NBA items, not to mention politics because he's been involved with that as well. Can't wait to get into that. Which is why I'm going to move quickly because before I do that, I've got to get into some high profile Democrats that are speaking out against the Trump administration. I'll start with former Vice President Kamala Harris, who addressed a woman's summit yesterday in California. The former Democratic presidential nominee, who lost to Trump in November, said the president's moves since he returned to office were largely predictable. Here's more of her remarks last night at the Leading Women Defined Summit. Quote, there were many things we knew were going to happen. I'm not going to say I told you so. We are seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats. Courage is contagious, end quote. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama also had words for the administration. Yesterday, Obama said that he doesn't think Trump's new tariff announcement is going to be good for America. He also added that his larger concern is what he described as the White House's infringement of rights, end quote. Tell us something we don't know. See, the problem is we always knew that. But no thanks to y'all as Democrats. Yes, you did say he was a threat to Democracy. Yes, you did say, don't think that what he says is true, that it's going to happen. Yes, you did say, beware, beware, beware. You told us those things, but you still lived life, allowing cancer, culture, and identity politics to be pervasive throughout our society. Y'all did that as Democrats. And then when people tried to tell y'all, and instead we tried to get y'all to focus on the concerns of the American people, the cost of living, inflation, etc. The borders, not open borders. Stop denying that 12 million plus people cross the border illegally. When we told you to stop doing that, when we told you to pay attention to the price of eggs and cheese and bread and gas and stuff like that, even though you touched on it, the focus was making sure that you touched on the moral fabric and the moral compass of individuals to guilt us into voting for the Democratic Party. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and the folks on the GOP side spoke plain English. And I'm gonna say something that isn't popular to say, but you know something? The Democrats need to hear this. Y'all are very, very fond of talking about how Donald Trump lies. Some of the things that have made people uncomfortable about Donald Trump, I got news for you. He has a lie. Didn't he say, tariffs, tariffs, tariffs was what he was going to live by? Did he not say that he was going to close those damn borders? I believe he said that. Did he not say that he was going to address crime in our streets and things were going to get very, very bad for lawless individuals out there? Did he not provide indications that he could give a damn about the civil rights and the human rights of individuals that were considered lawless? Did he not say, or at least indicate that come hella high water, the culture that we were living in, we were going to dial that back. Did he not talk about the LGBTQ community, specifically as it pertains to transgenders and athletes not being allowed to transition from male to female and be able to compete in women's sports? Did he not say these things? Yes, he did. Why am I bringing all of that up? Because, for better or worse, most American people feel we know him. Even when he's lying, we know him. We know he's gonna lie. We know there's some other things he's gonna be honest about. We know he's gonna be narcissistic. We know he's gonna care primarily about himself and his name, and he's gonna put that above all else. In most instances, we know that he might not Read the reports. Whether it's involving national security or the economy or anything else. We know that he operates primarily off gut. We know that he puts people in their positions and their primary responsibility is to be loyal to him as opposed to being competent or qualified for their jobs. We know all of this, which means we know him. So what's the problem? We didn't know y'all as Democrats because the Democratic Party and what it was customarily associated with, normally associated with how it was supposed to be the party of the working class, you were throwing your own aside. You did it to elected officials that got themselves in a speck of trouble. You threw them to the wolves. You had Supreme Court justices refusing to answer question as to whether or not they were a woman or define what a woman was, even though they were married with children. It's a whole bunch of ridiculous nonsense that was going around and going on with the Democratic Party. We're not blind to what's transpiring right now. We're not blind to the specter hovering over all of us and how dangerous times can be, how hardship seems imminent as it pertains to tariffs and beyond. We get what tariffs may cause, the problems that it may cause, Inflation, potential, recession. We get all of that. But we also get that Donald Trump told us exactly what the hell he was going to do. And that not only did a vast majority of the American people still saw him closer to normalcy than we saw the Democratic Party. But because of that, regardless of his ways, Donald Trump is actually trusted more than y'all. He didn't hint towards misogyny for black men that could possibly vote against Kamala Harris. He didn't do that. He wasn't somebody that was scared to do interviews half the time and was at the mercy of people connected to her campaign. Instead of recognizing she was the Democratic nominee and she was supposed to be running the show and she was supposed to be the boss. You told us so. Yeah, you did. What you didn't do was tell us enough about you and what you would ultimately stand for. That's why he's the president. That's why the GOP is in control of the House and the Senate and the Democrats on the outside looking in. Just thought I'd remind y'all of that before y'all went out there chirping about some of the things that are going on. He ain't right, but you're just as guilty as he is. You put him back in that White House. Cause you forgot about your own. The chunk that really matters, not the fringes who are not gonna give you an election. You did that, and that's the way it goes. I'm sure I'll be getting into that subject with my next guest. He is the former owner for the Dallas Mavericks. He is a brilliant individual. He is also a billionaire. He's still a minority owner for the Dallas Mavericks. Is he a political candidate? Is he a potential presidential candidate? Is he a potential vice presidential candidate? Or is he just somebody that's determined to raise hell and make a difference in ways we wish our politicians actually would? The one and only Mark Cuban up next, right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Don't go away. I got more than that coming, but I'll be back in a minute. All right, folks, I need you all to stop what you're doing and listen up. You know I love this time of year, right? The madness is set, and we have four teams left in this year's college basketball tournament. And with all this action going on, Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you take advantage of it all. That's why we've partnered with Prize picks. The best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is easy to use. Just pick more or less on a few player stats and you can win up to 1000 times your cash on a single lineup. And there's more. Prospects will give you $50 when you play your first $5 lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks for playing. Use promo code SAS and download the app now. Again, download the app and use code SAS to get $50 instantly after your first $5 lineup. Earlier this week, I gave you my picks for Saturday's college basketball games between the Auburn Tigers and the Florida Gators and the Duke Blue Devils and the Houston Cougars. More for Janiah Broom. More for Walter Clayton Jr. More for Cooper Flagg. Less for LJ Cryer. So if you haven't done so already, go to the Prospects app and check out the Stephen A. Smith show community play. It's boosted 25% prospects. Hey, hey, run your game.
- [11:24]
Thumbtack
Thumbtack presents the ins and outs of caring for your home. Out indecision, overthinking, second guessing every choice you make in plans and guides that make it easy to get home projects done. Out beige on beige on beige in knowing what to do, when to do it and who to hire. Start caring for your home with confidence. Download thumbtack today.
- [11:52]
Mark Cuban
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Mark Cuban
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- [12:25]
Stephen A. Smith
Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith show. Before I get to my next guest, we need to get to Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Moran, who was just fined $75,000 by the league for mimicking a shooting gun with his finger. The fine comes a day after the league warned Morant and Warriors guard. But he healed yesterday morning about the gesture following their game Tuesday night. And so Morant did it again last night. Here's what he had to say after the game when asked about criticisms of his actions. Quote, I'm kind of used to it. I was pretty much a villain for two years. Now every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it's going to be out there. So yeah, I don't care no more. End quote. So the NBA responded this morning with that $75,000 fine. You got off easy. Let's get that out the way first. You got that. You got off easy, number one. Number two, John Morant. We need to stop. Take that footage off the camera and put me on the camera, please. Gotta stop, bro. First of all, stop with all of this negativity over the last two years. When you got into the situation where you was caught on Instagram, you know, waving a gun, first you got suspended for eight games and then after that you got suspended for 25 games. Nobody was saying anything negative about you prior to those things. In the aftermath of all of that, all anybody's been looking for is your game. You came back, you got hurt, you was out, and that's what transpired. John Morant is fantastic. He has superstar potential. We knew he was on his way and then he got derailed because he got suspended and then ultimately injured. Nobody's looking to bring you down. I shouldn't say anybody because there's always haters and trolls and the level, the society that we live in with the negativity, et cetera, is ridiculous. But the flip side to it is that the world is in the palm of your hands. It's in your hands. The money that you're making, the money you stood to make with endorsement deals and all of that stuff, particularly after Kyrie had his troubles and Madison Avenue came in your direction. You got derailed because of that. And between the suspensions and the endorsement or lack thereof that followed, it was speculated that you would cost over 40 to 50 million dollars. That would leave a whole bunch of people bitter. I get that part. But please don't. Please understand everybody that loves basketball should be rooting for you. For the record, John Moran isn't some awful dude. He's not some dude looking to start trouble. Neither is his dad. Dad's a little bit conspicuous at the games with the shades on and all that stuff. He actually happens to be a real fun loving guy. Nobody's sitting up there rooting for you to fall on your face and fail. What we want to see is the greatness we've been seeing from you the last few games. When you dropped 36 in a loss to Steph Curry in Golden State, when he dropped 52 on you, you still had 36 that game. When you sat up there and dropped 30 last night and hit the game winning shot when you talking smack and you backed it up, that's what we want to see. That's all we want to see. You don't want to get in trouble because you doing feigning gun signs and all of that, bro. It's not worth it. You are very, very important to the league, but you don't run the league. It existed before you got here and it's gonna be here when you gone. I'm telling you right now, I got nothing but love for John Morant. I wish you nothing but the best. You gotta be smart. It's a business. And the reason why the NBA can be a bit invasive and a bit stringent and a bit meticulous at times is because they have to answer the advertisers and sponsors who essentially provide revenue for the league. That's why the NBA gets an 11 year, $76 billion deal. Because they acquiesce to and appease sponsors and advertisers. And that kind of thing hurts their bottom line. It's very simple. It's very simple. Don't let something that small get in the way. We know it's small. It's not a big deal. But it's a big deal to advertisers and sponsors. And as a result, it's a big deal to the brand that is the NBA, which you play, which umbrella you play under. That's all it is. That's all it is. Look at it this way, ja. If you witch boys, they your crew and they cost you money because they do something relatively foolish. Not necessarily harmful, not malicious, but they engage in activity that ain't smart. You gonna tell them to fix it or they gotta bounce cause you ain't gonna let them hurt your bottom line. That's what the NBA is saying to you. Just know that and operate accordingly and your career will continue to prosper and you be able to move on with your life and do what you do cause you that special, bro.
- [17:46]
Mark Cuban
That's all.
- [17:48]
Stephen A. Smith
It's time to move on to another subject. Subject far more important than this particular instance right here. Because it's a $75,000 fine. He hasn't gotten suspended or anything like that. John Morant will be fine. Now it's time to move on to a different, more significant subject. And it's talking to my next guest who I've been waiting to talk to for a while. 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 Lavine 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.
- [19:01]
Thumbtack
Thumbtack presents the ins and outs of caring for your home. Out uncertainty, self doubt, stressing about not knowing where to start in plans and guides that make it easy to get home. Projects done out Word art. Sorry. Live laugh lovers in knowing what to do, when to do it and who to hire. Start caring for your home with confidence. Download Thumbtack today.
- [19:28]
Ryan Reynolds
Welcome to AutoZone. What are you working on today?
- [19:31]
Stephen A. Smith
My car is making this noise. Sometimes it's like and sometimes it's like.
- [19:37]
Ryan Reynolds
Do you have a dash light on?
- [19:38]
Stephen A. Smith
Oh yeah.
- [19:39]
Ryan Reynolds
And we don't have to listen for clues. With the free fix finder service, we can read a check engine, ABS or maintenance light to find the likely fix, fix and even recommend a local Shop if you need one.
- [19:49]
Stephen A. Smith
So you don't need to hear the.
- [19:52]
Ryan Reynolds
Not with fix finder. Free at every AutoZone.
- [19:55]
Stephen A. Smith
Get in the zone.
- [19:56]
Ryan Reynolds
Auto zone restrictions apply.
- [20:02]
Stephen A. Smith
Welcome back. My next guest is a host of the hit ABC competition show Shark Tank, a minority owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, and maybe, just maybe, a presidential candidate for the United States of America. Please welcome to the Stephen A. Smith show, the one and only Mr. Mark Cuban. What's going on, big time. How are you, man? How's everything?
- [20:23]
Mark Cuban
It's all good. It's all about you, Mr. Big Money.
- [20:26]
Stephen A. Smith
I wish, I wish and please. I still don't. I still don't make a penny to your dollar. Stop that nonsense. Don't even try it. But listen, I couldn't wait to talk to you right now. First of all, it's great to see you. I hope you're well. How has life been for you since you've sold the majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks?
- [20:45]
Mark Cuban
I mean, it's been great. I mean, from a personal perspective, family perspective, business perspective, you know, we're growing. Costplusdrugs.com My kids, you know, my, my freshman, my son is playing back play basketball this season. My daughter got a rowing scholarship to. She's happy. My oldest is in college having fun. Everybody's healthy. My wife is happy. I mean, this is the way it.
- [21:10]
Stephen A. Smith
Should be when you think about it. I mean, obviously you own the Dallas Mavericks. The majority owner for the Dallas mavericks, solo for 23 years, for crying out loud. And to give that up, nobody ever imagined that you would do that. Put into your own words why you had reached that conclusion and it was time to surrender a majority stake in the franchise.
- [21:30]
Mark Cuban
I mean, one family, you know, I was going to away games and, you know, my kids were getting out of school and moving into their own adult lives. And, you know, I was missing too much of that, which is also the reason why I left Shark Tank. You know, the NBA has evolved over the last 25 years where it went from being a very entrepreneurial environment where if someone like myself came in, you know, ideas were welcome, to being a really, you know, a PE type scenario where there were ownership groups, there were private equity groups that were buying into teams and owning teams, and that kind of changed the dynamic and it really evolved so that in order to compete financially, because that's half the battle on the court is one thing, but being able to compete financially is a big part of it as well. It didn't play to my strengths any longer, you know, really, you Hear every single team talk about real estate and expanding in casinos, and that just wasn't my strength, so. And then, you know, the other part again, going back to family, when you get on social media and you listen to kids and you listen to adults, for that matter, on social media and off, people were getting mean, you know, and if I was looking forward to, you know, 10 years from now, my kids taking over, I just. That's not where I wanted them to be or to go. And, you know, you look at other teams where kids have taken over, sometimes it works. A lot of times it doesn't. And I wanted them to fight their own path, so. Or find their own path, so it just made sense to sell.
- [23:03]
Stephen A. Smith
Finding their own path is one thing, but I'm genuinely asking you this because I'm really interested in hearing your response. The world is getting uglier. You're absolutely right. And as a guy who's a pundit and can be a critic, even I look at him and be like, you people cross the line. You cross lines I would never even think to cross. What the hell's wrong with these people these. These days? But the flip side to it is that knowing the world that we're living in, knowing how it's regressing before our very eyes, do you really, really believe that you're going to be able to shield your children?
- [23:33]
Mark Cuban
Oh, no, I didn't say shield. Right.
- [23:35]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [23:35]
Mark Cuban
I never said. I want them to find their own way.
- [23:38]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay?
- [23:38]
Mark Cuban
In sports, it's a different beast. Right? Look, and here's the way I explain it. When you win a championship, see that guy back there? You know, in any sport, a million people might show up for the parade, and they're that passionate, and that passion leads to when things are good, everybody loves you. When things are not good, it's not as nearly as much fun that for me, okay? I grew up, you know, before. Grew up in this industry, before social media, I had a great run. But for them to find their own path, they can go wherever they want. They may not want to be in the middle of the storm, or they might not even be. Want to be a public figure. They want to. Might want to be very private. One of my kids is, like, super private and hates the idea of, you know, being out in the public. So, you know, I just. I want them to be curious about life and find their own path. And it's tough when you're the heir apparent for a basketball team.
- [24:33]
Stephen A. Smith
Now, when you sold your team, the Dallas Mavericks, the majority stake to the Adelson and the Lamont families. In December of 2023, you talked about being a minority owner, still maintaining about 27%, if I remember correctly. And you said that you would pretty much be running, still running basketball operations that has. That. That clearly was not the case because Luka Doncic is gone. I'll get into that in a second. But what happened to that role you were supposed to be playing, a role of running basketball operations. What happened to that Mark Cuban?
- [25:03]
Mark Cuban
I think it was fool's gold. I mean, we went to the finals, you know, it's only been 15 months since they took over, and we went right to the finals. And I think everything seemed easy, and all decisions that were made seemed to be perfect. And in that particular case, why do you need Mark for any more help? And, you know, but it's never that easy over the course of time. And, you know, once we. Once I was out of that picture, we really didn't have anybody that had any long term experience in making decisions in the NBA. And I think that kind of backfired.
- [25:35]
Stephen A. Smith
And I guess what I'm asking is, but if you had an agreement where you still own 27% of the franchise and you're going to be running basketball operations, how the hell was that something they were able to wiggle their way out of, how did that happen?
- [25:46]
Mark Cuban
Well, because it was a handshake agreement, and, you know. Yeah, they decided, you know, I tried to put it in the contract, actually. The NBA said no. They said, basically, it's between you and the new ownership. And, you know, they. They went in their direction again. You know, mistakes happen. You know, I don't think they do it the same way now, but it's only been 15 months. And I think, you know, they've learned from everything that's happened, and I think things will be better for Mavs fans going forward.
- [26:11]
Stephen A. Smith
The most obvious question you have ever been asked, because we all know the answer. If Mark Cuban is still the owner for the Dallas Mavericks, majority and otherwise. Is Luka Doncic in L. A or is he still in Dallas?
- [26:26]
Mark Cuban
I think he's here. Yeah.
- [26:29]
Stephen A. Smith
Could you have ever imagined yourself trading Luka Doncic?
- [26:33]
Mark Cuban
No.
- [26:34]
Stephen A. Smith
Can you explain why the hell they came to that conclusion?
- [26:38]
Mark Cuban
I don't know.
- [26:39]
Stephen A. Smith
You still don't know?
- [26:40]
Mark Cuban
I've heard. I mean, you know, Nico is. You know, I've heard what Nico said publicly, privately, you know, and they align. And so, you know, Nico felt it was the best decision. And Patrick Dumont agreed with them at the time, and they made that decision. And you know, it just. That's the way the NBA works.
- [26:56]
Stephen A. Smith
Could you educate my audience as to what words were said as to why Luka Doncic was being traded?
- [27:04]
Mark Cuban
I mean, Nico decided that, you know, defense wins championships, and they thought that he thought that Anthony Davis would be a better anchor for our defense. And look, you know, the truth is, between AD Derek Lively and Derek Gapper, that's the best Big three, Big three in the NBA. But Luka Doncic is a, you know, generational talent. So, you know, while there's. There's an argument to be made, and I understand where Nico's coming from, it's just not the same decision I would have made.
- [27:36]
Stephen A. Smith
So when they told you, where were you and did you collapse in front of their face? Did you go ballistic? What was your immediate reaction upon hearing the news that this generational talent, six years younger than the talent that you was bringing in, although Anthony Davis is a big time player. What was your immediate reaction in the moment when you were first told the news?
- [27:58]
Mark Cuban
I was like, you're asking me, right? This isn't done. And he was like, no, it's done. And I was like, okay, you know, nothing more to talk about. I wouldn't have done this. And, you know, thanks for giving me the call.
- [28:10]
Stephen A. Smith
Who did you say that to? Who called you?
- [28:12]
Mark Cuban
Nico.
- [28:13]
Stephen A. Smith
Wow. Wow. One of the things that was reported Mark Cuban, is that throughout his years, as much of a generational talent as we all know Luka to be, his dad spoke out upon in the immediate aftermath of the trade because of the cynicism that was thrown in Lucas direction, doing his own thing, marching to the beat of his own drum, you know, controlling his circle to some degree, strength and conditioning, et cetera, being in shape, all of these different things. Was it fair criticism? Was it exaggerated? Was he being maligned unnecessarily in your eyes?
- [28:50]
Mark Cuban
I mean, look, everybody saw him. It wasn't like he was ripped and had a six pack. But what I think what the biggest mistake was in trying to understand Luca is he's. He's from the Balkans, right? He. He's Slovenian. And, you know, you look at Jokic, who's Serbian, and you look at Serbian players in general, there's just a different mindset, right? They look at the game different. They look at life differently. They look at their emotionally. You know, the guys that I've gotten to know from that, from that region of the world are different. And I think that was what was not considered as fully as it should have been, that you've got to understand what people are like, what their backgrounds are like, who they are personally, what their families are like, you know, how they interact with other people and from that part of the world. In my experiences, Luca was just, you know, other than the basketball talent, he was just like every other guy. And, you know, and I think that was one of the reasons he loves to play with the Slovenian team. He relates so well to all the other players from that part of the world. And, you know, over the summers, that's who he's hanging out with. That. That's who he is. And so I don't think that we truly took the time to understand that. And I think that really led to this decision and that. That. And that really underpinned this decision, that lack of attention to that. That issue. And I think that's. Here we are.
- [30:13]
Stephen A. Smith
Mark, educate us. When you say he was a bit different, not so much about him, but. But about those players from Europe compared to American players, and you say he's a bit different, folks needed to understand that kind of thing. What are the kind of things that you noticed about him and about players from overseas, from Europe, et cetera, and.
- [30:32]
Mark Cuban
How different, even overseas, the Balkan players, right? You've never seen a game in Serbia, okay? They're going, like Jokic has said before. Joker said, you know, all guys are yelling at me. No, dude, have you ever seen a game in Serbia and you watch him. That's where you see the videos of the entire stadium bouncing up and down. And, you know, look at Jokic's brothers. They're aggressive, right? They don't put up with anything. You know, just. You know, when we had Bobon, Bobon was a big teddy bear, but he could be aggressive, too, on the court. And so just that mindset that you just. When you're on the court, your intensity is at a different level, you know, and you see that with Jokic, you see that with with Luka, you see that with other players. And that historically has been who they are. And you have to understand where people are from in the world. That culture, you know, the culture you grow up in makes a difference into who you are as an athlete, as a professional in any sport, and as a business person, for that matter.
- [31:36]
Stephen A. Smith
Is that good for the NBA in this day and age? Is it what's needed?
- [31:39]
Mark Cuban
Yes, yes. It's great, right? Because the beauty of the NBA is that we accept all cultures from around the world because, you know, they're all different. And that's what makes us unique in that we're very Very accepting, no matter where you are, where you are from. And I think it's amazing, you know, and you know, when you see Luca, like when I went to LA with my son, when we played there against it for the first time, and I told him I was going to boom when he was on the free throw line, so I did. And I was smiling and laughing and he was, you know, he got really intense because he's always really intense on the court. Always. You see his response to the referees, you see his responses to anybody. He is intense. And while, you know, Joker may not be as purely emotional and I don't get to see as many of his games, the guy is intense, you know, and. But he, when the game is over and he goes back home, he's more interested in harness racing, which, by the way, I grew up watching my entire life, so I don't blame him. But, you know, they go back and they live their lives, it's just different. And you've got to accept those differences in players from that part of the world. And I think that was part of our mistake.
- [32:53]
Stephen A. Smith
Well, listen, the way you describe Luka and players from that part of the world, it sounds a lot like Mark Cuban. And I don't recall you being born in the Balkans. I mean, your intensity level, you're known for it.
- [33:03]
Mark Cuban
But go ahead, let me just tell you. One grandparents from Lithuania.
- [33:08]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [33:08]
Mark Cuban
Multiple from Ukraine.
- [33:10]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [33:11]
Mark Cuban
One, you know, so I got that in my blood.
- [33:13]
Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. I got you. I got you. Absolutely. Before I get into my questions that are non sports related, I wanted to read you something. Did you see this? Rasmussen poll conducted by Pablo Torre finds out it's of 1021 likely voters who were asked who would be the best Democratic candidate for vice president for 2028. Would you check out this, please? What's your reaction to this right here? Mark Cuban is leading the race for vice president.
- [33:44]
Mark Cuban
My name first. It's M A R K. There we go.
- [33:47]
Stephen A. Smith
That's right. That's what they did. That wasn't us, that was them.
- [33:49]
Mark Cuban
I ain't playing second fiddle to nobody.
- [33:52]
Stephen A. Smith
Damn right.
- [33:53]
Mark Cuban
So. But, you know, if I ever do decide to run, which won't happen, Stephen A, you can be my vp.
- [33:58]
Stephen A. Smith
No, if you ain't playing second fiddle, what would make you think I want to play second fiddle?
- [34:01]
Mark Cuban
I'm not doing that because that's who you, bro. That's who you are.
- [34:04]
Stephen A. Smith
I'm second fiddle? That's what you're telling me?
- [34:06]
Mark Cuban
Yeah, yeah, go. Nevermind.
- [34:11]
Stephen A. Smith
Listen, at least Chief of Staff or secretary of State or something. Not the vice president, man. Not the vice president. But. But let me ask you this. You know, you've been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, but revealed on the all in podcast that he reached out to you in 2024 and offered you a position in his administration. First of all, in what capacity was that? And did you ever consider it?
- [34:32]
Mark Cuban
No, he didn't offer me in a position ever. So that never happened. But back in his first administration, I went and talked to him and talked to others about helping with health care. And I've actually talked to people in the administration now, bringing up just basic things about health care and pharmacy pricing because of our success with costplusdrugs.com and so, look, I'm all about Team USA. Whatever I can do to help this country, I'm going to do it. You know, it's, you know, it's like sports. I played rugby forever. You beat the hell out of each other during the game. After the game, you have a beer. This is, you know, my mind the same way, you know, I'm. If I can help cut the cost of health care in the United States of America, doesn't matter who the president is, whether I like him or dislike him, I'm going to do what I can.
- [35:20]
Stephen A. Smith
How do you feel about what he's been doing so far, not just in the first 70 to 73 days, but specifically with this whole tariff war he's created. What are your thoughts?
- [35:29]
Mark Cuban
Yeah, I think that's a problem. I think he and Elon aren't aligned in their thinking. I think Elon's first goal is to reduce the deficit. And one path to reduce the deficit is by the economy declining and contracting. The idea is that if the economy contracts, then you have to reduce interest rates in order to, you know, get it fired back up again. And by enter by reducing interest rates, since that's one of the biggest components of the national debt, then you push down the national debt. The problem is you can't reduce interest rates. And while you're increasing tariffs, because tariffs, particularly to the extent that they've been implemented here this week, are very, very inflationary. So you create this catch 22, and then on top of that, with all the Doge cuts, which I think are going to have a disproportionate impact on small towns and cities in the United States of America, then all these things happening at once, and that's really bad for the economy.
- [36:29]
Stephen A. Smith
That doesn't sound like America first to me. That doesn't Sound like it makes a lot of sense, what they're doing right now. And I had somebody write this to me. They said his formula is screwed. First it was an election tool, talking about the tariffs. First it was an election tool, then it was a negotiating tool. Now it's here to stay. He's all over the place. This is what people are saying about him as it pertains to tariffs. Do you find yourself thinking in that regard?
- [36:54]
Mark Cuban
Yeah, what I think is they're very dogmatic. You know, Elon is very dogmatic. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. And Trump is very dogmatic. Tariffs, you know, are a beautiful word. And we're going to have tariffs. They don't go together at all. Something's got to give. And right now it's the stock market.
- [37:11]
Stephen A. Smith
And I'm looking at it from this standpoint. The thing that really struck me, Mark, is that the Republicans, this is a party that religiously preaches about the importance of lowering taxes. How are you going to sit up there and raise and create a tariff war and in the same breath, lower taxes? It seems to be antithetical to anything that they've been preaching about for decades. I don't find their message to be consistent at all in that regard to that. Oh, no, no.
- [37:33]
Mark Cuban
I mean, look, the parties are, are not as important as they used to be. And the Republican Party is the Trump family business now. And, you know, maybe that's good in some respects, but that it also means that everybody's just going to go along. Everybody in that party is going to go along with whatever Donald Trump says. And if he says tariffs are good, everybody's out there saying tariffs are good. Howard Lucknick. Oh, Donald Trump has been wanting terrorists for 30 years. He's the smartest guy I know. Let's, you know, tariffs are going to be amazing until they aren't.
- [38:05]
Stephen A. Smith
Not only that, it's increasing taxes on small businesses as well. Oh, yeah. I mean, this is, I mean, this is, this is the bread and butter of the American economy. And it's increasing taxes on small businesses and on regular, average, everyday American citizens, which they swear they protect.
- [38:20]
Mark Cuban
3 million. There are 33 million companies in this country. There are only 21,000 that have 500 or more employees. The other 32 point whatever million, they don't have the money to absorb tariffs. They can't just raise prices. They, you know, they are going to get hurt. And so that's a real problem that I don't think they've thunk through.
- [38:42]
Stephen A. Smith
Why is it Tell us and remind us why you were so supportive of Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party, considering how chaotic things looked. And we ultimately learned that side of.
- [38:53]
Mark Cuban
The aisle was because she wasn't Donald Trump.
- [38:56]
Stephen A. Smith
Simple as plain. Just that simple. If it were anybody else other than Donald Trump, let's say, for example, it was Nikki Haley. Let's say, for example, it was Ron DeSantis or Chris Christie, even a Vivek Ramaswamy or somebody. Are you saying that you may have thought differently?
- [39:12]
Mark Cuban
I voted for Nikki Haley in the Texas primary.
- [39:16]
Stephen A. Smith
I got you. So you would have voted for her for presidency if she had won a Republican?
- [39:20]
Mark Cuban
There was a lot more to learn. Right. You can't just, you know, jump based up what was happening to the point of the primaries. I didn't agree with everything she said, but I certainly would have considered it. And look, I like Kamala. I don't want to throw her under the bus. She's smarter than people give her credit for. But I think she was really held back by her team. They would not let her do just basic things that would have made a lot of difference.
- [39:41]
Stephen A. Smith
Mark, are you a registered Republican?
- [39:44]
Mark Cuban
No, I'm independent.
- [39:45]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay, so you. So am I. I just want to make sure I checked that, you know, I asked that question because as I look, I've been taking a lot of heat because I've been pointing the finger at the Democratic Party. I'm like, I ain't got to apologize for a damn thing. I voted for them. What the hell am I doing? I vote. I voted for them, you know, and I was rooting for them, but I was so disgusted because I felt that they got caught up in identity politics, cancer culture and all of that stuff, and wasn't talking about everything. Talk about that for a second.
- [40:11]
Mark Cuban
So, I mean, what did Donald Trump do that was really smart and he just drove home, right? He told every white guy, not just white guys, you know, guys who worked in big companies, that DEI was the reason why you weren't getting the job or why you weren't getting promoted. And he told people of color that, you know, or not just people color people who were in lower paying jobs. The reason why you weren't getting paid more is because immigrants were coming here illegally and taking your jobs. And he wasn't wrong to a certain extent. You know, the Democrats were so, you know about identity politics and, you know, you know, we have to help all these underprivileged people. Well, it's. We all want to help people who are disadvantaged, whether they're trans, whether they're Black, whether they're white, whether they're poor, you know, whoever. We want to help those people. But you don't have to make it that you do what you do rather than just talk about it. Right. And by just pushing all these agendas to push dei, and I'm a fan of dei, I think it really turned off a lot of people who felt like they were being diminished. And then there were, you know, particularly in universities, the. The way they implemented dei and spend tens of millions of dollars instead of just helping people that need help. Okay, Stephen, you need help. Let me find a way to help you. That's what we're going to do. It was. Let's put together these programs, let's spend all this money, let's tell people that they are racist when they're not racist. There are plenty of racists. We don't need to call people who aren't racist racist. And so, you know, doing things like that, you know, the whole sports transports issue, you know, it's like the old Willie Horton thing. You know, my attitude is, if there's a trans athlete, no matter what side you let the opponent, whether it's an individual sport or a team sport, you let them decide if they wanted to compete against them or not. If they feel they can win, if they feel it's not fair, it's. It's up to them. But to make it just a national issue so that if you weren't supporting the fewer than 10 trans athletes in the NCAA, then, you know, you weren't a good person. I just. People aren't ready for that yet. And you've got to meet people where they are. We've gotten. We've taken this country so far in race, relationships, races, and attitudes towards lgbtq. You know, it takes time. You can't just force it down people's throat. And instead of trying to get it where the people who are being disadvantaged and being discriminated against are helped, they wanted to make it a campaign issue. Focus on helping the people, not using them to campaign.
- [42:52]
Stephen A. Smith
How does it make any sense to you? Let's say, for example, let's compartmentalize and take the trans athlete issue issue. We're talking about folks that make up less than 1% of the population, and they made it a big deal during their campaign. What kind of thinking do you connect that to, for the Democratic Party to take that kind of approach where there were vast swaths of the American electorate that they were ignoring in favor of a considerably smaller swath? How do you explain it?
- [43:23]
Mark Cuban
You know, I get wanting to stand up for people who are being discriminated against.
- [43:28]
Stephen A. Smith
Absolutely.
- [43:28]
Mark Cuban
I get wanting to stand up for people who are in pain, who are, who can't get jobs because of how they look or how they sound or where they're from or what's happened to them. You know, the choices they've made and how they're identified help them. But you've got to look at the goal. How do you help them is the goal, not how do you make the point to, you know, the rest of America that they're discriminatory and we're not? That there's no value in trying to prove someone else discriminates and you don't. Right. The value comes in focusing that energy on actually helping the people, not trying to use them to sell something.
- [44:04]
Stephen A. Smith
Last question on this subject. I want to see if you agree or disagree with me on this. I'm looking at the Democratic Party and I think there's a lot of spectacular local talent. I like Josh Shapiro, the Governor of Pennsylvania. I really, really like Wes Moore. I look at them and I say, yes, I like them. The way they're looking at politics, they might as well stay in their own state. I don't see a national voice for the Democratic Party. So I'm of the mindset that as bad as this situation seems to be with tariffs and how it may potentially wreck our economy, if you're listening to a lot of centrists and those on the left, my other attitude is the best way to combat all of that is for the Dems to win the midterm election elections. And the best way for them to do that is by letting Donald Trump do what he wants to do so he can mess up. And that way you can slide up in there and recover from the disastrous, disastrous stuff that happened this past election. To that you say what?
- [44:58]
Mark Cuban
So I think the Democrats locally have to do things right. You're going to get, Bernie, you're going to get AOC going out and going on their tour and get people amped up and that's fine. Right. But the reality is. Let's look at Doge, right? The cuts that Doge is making to jobs, firing all those people, closing offices, canceling contracts to universities, through the nih, through, you know, other organizations, other agencies.
- [45:26]
Stephen A. Smith
Right.
- [45:26]
Mark Cuban
That has a disproportional impact on small town America. So I read something that, you know, in Iowa City, Iowa, that just through the NIH, there were $79 million in grants that look like they'll be canceled. That's very impactful in that district. And apparently the woman who won Republican, who won, only won by 800 votes. You've got to go where you can help those people who are being disadvantaged by all these Doge cuts. You go to Parkersburg, West Virginia, where there's a Treasury office that has 2,000 people. I don't know how many people are going to get fired. But first, under 25 already have. When you fire 125 people in a town that only has 29,000 total, probably 15,000 working, and there's potential for another 1875 to be cut and offices to be closed, the Democrats need to be going there and talking to the mayors, talking to the tax assessor, talking to the people in the county and saying, look, this is all going to fall on you. Everything's going to roll downhill and hit your budget, and you're going to have to cut all these services. Let us work with you to come up with solutions so that you see the Democrats as the solution rather than the Republicans that are creating this problem. But if you just say democrats bad, Trump bad, you know, every time you bring up Donald Trump in a small town, it's a trigger word one way or the other. There's just no point to talk about him. What you got to do is go in there and help the people that need help. And that's the theme you'll hear me talking about all the time. No matter what the topic, when these decisions like tariffs and doge are made, there are people who are being disadvantaged. There are people who are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, their companies, their towns are not going to be able to offer the same services. The COVID money that is using for, that's now being used for a mental health clinic or an opioid clinic. Those, those are going to get cut. Who is going to come in there and help them resolve those issues that those cuts have created? That's what the Democrats need to do. They need to go in there and talk to those people, hold the town halls, listen to them, and rather than always having a Democrat standing behind a lectern lecturing, let those people who, who are facing these challenges talk for them. Because if you hear somebody from Parkersburg, West Virginia, if you hear a cattle farmer from Nebraska, if you hear somebody at the University of Iowa who's studying the cure for cancer, whatever it may be, if you hear somebody in West Virginia that used to work for the agency that made sure that there was safety in the coal mines, and you talk to the coal miners who now are Scared to go and do their job. Put aside whether the environment, they're just terrified, you know, that there's not going to be safety standards. Talk to those people and let them do the talking for you. That is how you are going to get momentum if you're the Democrat.
- [48:20]
Stephen A. Smith
Mark, you launched cost plus drugs in January 2022 to cut the middleman out of getting prescription drugs into the hands of consumers. And that's helped millions. How will the new tariffs affect that business?
- [48:32]
Mark Cuban
Right now they're not. But what we'll do is if there's a 10%, 20% tariff, we'll add that onto the cost. So right now, the way cost plus drugs works, you go to costplusdrugs.com you put in the name of the medication. If we carry it and we carry about 2500 SKUs, it'll come up and we'll show you our actual cost and then we'll show you our markup, which is only 15%. And because we only mark it up 15%, we're almost always cheaper. If there's a tariff, we'll show you what the actual tariff is. We'll be completely transparent and we'll show you what it is. And hopefully, since it's, you know, some percentage of a lower amount will actually end up being even cheaper than the alternatives.
- [49:14]
Stephen A. Smith
Are you going to run for president?
- [49:16]
Mark Cuban
No.
- [49:16]
Stephen A. Smith
Do you believe. You don't think so? Do you believe that you could beat any Democratic candidate out there?
- [49:22]
Mark Cuban
Yeah.
- [49:24]
Stephen A. Smith
So why wouldn't you run when you have the heart, the intelligence to make a difference and obviously deep pockets?
- [49:31]
Mark Cuban
Because I think I can really change health care and fix health care, and I'd rather be on that mission. And when I'm 95 years old and I'm on my deathbed and I'm thinking about life, I'd rather think about those minutes I spent with my kids and the time I was able to spend with. Spend with them at this age rather than running around on a campaign trail or even being in the White House.
- [49:52]
Stephen A. Smith
What's your chances of fixing health care if this man is still in office?
- [49:57]
Mark Cuban
I think, you know, he actually helps to a certain extent.
- [50:00]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay, how?
- [50:01]
Mark Cuban
Because I think the people he's putting in there, they need help. Right. They know what they don't know, fortunately. And so the people that I've talked to have said, look, the door is wide open to come in and help us figure these things out, to show it, you know, to demonstrate to us why the pharmacy benefit managers are problems and why they're increasing the cost of medications, while the insurance company, the biggest insurance companies are increasing the cost of healthcare. We're ready to listen. The people that he's appointed have said, or through their intermediaries have said, we're ready to listen. We think you can help. I'm sending them data, so I think there's a path there.
- [50:37]
Stephen A. Smith
And who are these people that he appointed that you're alluding to? RFK Jr. Who? Him? Anybody else?
- [50:42]
Mark Cuban
I haven't talked to those guys, but I've talked to people who work for him.
- [50:44]
Stephen A. Smith
I got. You let me transition back to sports before I let you get on out of here, because recently you were on the all the Smoke podcast with my boys, you know, Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. You had some great things to say about star player Kyrie Irving and what he means to you and what he means to the game. He and I have had our differences in the past, but I know he's a good brother. And I've obviously, even when we were butting heads, I religiously said, that's just he and I butting heads over something. I respect the hell out of that guy, and I know what a spectacular player he is, and he's a good dude. Your thoughts about Kyrie Irving?
- [51:17]
Mark Cuban
Love him to death, man. He has just got a heart of gold and. And some. You know, you could say that his biggest problem is he's, you know, his heart is too big. But I love him, I care for him. I just want nothing but the best for him and his family. And, oh, by the way, I don't have mine right now, but those Kyries, I just got some of the newest ones. They're Fire Boy. Okay, so go out and try those two.
- [51:41]
Stephen A. Smith
How's he doing? How's he doing mentally and otherwise since his surgery?
- [51:45]
Mark Cuban
I mean, he sees it as just another challenge that he's got to fight through. You know, you. If you saw that, you know, you're showing the replay here. If you saw him at the three, the free throw line when he, you know, mouths the words, thank you, God. Yeah, that's how Kyrie approaches life, where he's like, this is what I've been given. I've been given these. These amazing talents, but I'm also going to be giving challenges. And this is one more. And Kyrie has just got that focus and that intensity. In a lot of respects, he's like Dirk in that respect, where when Dirk got hurt or something happened, Dirk found a way to fight through. And Kyrie's the same way.
- [52:23]
Stephen A. Smith
You're Backing a startup taken on TikTok is called Skylight. Talk about that.
- [52:28]
Mark Cuban
Yeah, I mean, there's a couple actually that I'm working with that, you know, who knows what happens with TikTok. But I'm, I'm big on a platform called oh my God, not my. I want to call them MySpace. Blue Sky. So let me do. So I'm really big on a platform called Blue sky. And Blue sky is a moderated social media platform and working with Skylight that allows them to add TikTok like videos. And the beautiful part of it, it's distributed so there's no one person that can control it. It's moderated so you can have normal conversations. There's not people coming out with hate and anti semitic things. You know, those people get booted off. So I can have real social media like conversations on Blue sky and so you can follow me there at M. Cuban and you can see all these things.
- [53:13]
Stephen A. Smith
And what's this about some change maker AI contest you've got going on?
- [53:17]
Mark Cuban
Oh, that's with the Forward party. And so AI like you, AI is just the coolest I've ever seen in technology. It is just unreal. Like, I've been through a lot of technological revolutions going way back, but there's nothing like artificial intelligence and you know, doing things like creating videos through text prompts. You could say, you know, show create a video with Mark and Stephen A talking about sports in front of, you know, this background and just hit Enter and it'll. In two minutes it'll crank something out that you can start from. So, you know, prompt text to video, you know, talking to chat, GPT, you know, or anthropic or all the different competitors. Gemini, here's one for you, Stephen.
- [54:02]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [54:03]
Mark Cuban
Have you heard of Notebook lm?
- [54:07]
Stephen A. Smith
I have.
- [54:08]
Mark Cuban
Have you tried that?
- [54:09]
Stephen A. Smith
I have not. I have not tried it, but I just heard about it the other day. I didn't know anything about it till the other day.
- [54:14]
Mark Cuban
So this stuff is crazy, right? So take a transcript of this, show, our interview and go to Google Notebook LM Studio and put it in there and create a podcast out of it. There'll be two people, a man and a woman that will just start talking about. It'll be like, so Stephen A has something interesting to say about politics.
- [54:34]
Stephen A. Smith
What do you.
- [54:35]
Mark Cuban
It's just insane. And why that's important is kids today, Gen Z and younger don't like to read. When we grew up, reading was. It was fundamental, right? It was critically important to learning and being curious. Now people want to listen to podcasts, they want to, you know, watch and listen on YouTube. Being able to take things that are text and books and written and turning them into a podcast makes it easier to connect to your Gen Z employees, Gen Z students, whatever it may be. And I think just those types of tools from AI, they're going to change the world.
- [55:09]
Stephen A. Smith
Don't you worry at all about the negative impact it can have on the job market? These computers, this new technology, it's going to cost a lot of American citizens, a lot of people throughout the world jobs. I'm talking about human beings. I mean, is it that, isn't that the truth?
- [55:24]
Mark Cuban
Yes and no. There's going to be disruption during transition times. I think overall it'll create a lot more jobs because it's such, it's a tool that can allow people to be more creative, to be smarter. You know, it's like having your own mentor available to you all the time. You know, if you don't have an advanced education, it can act as a professor that can answer your questions. So I think it'll make people more capable, competent and more employable. But in the interim, it's just like the old days, right? You went from records to CDs and cassettes to DVDs to digital and they're gone. And people lost their jobs. And so it's unfortunate and you have to try to come up with programs that help them. But the reality is it's not going to stop. There's nothing you can do to stop it. Globally and from a business perspective, there's going to be two types of companies, those who are great at AI and everybody else. And the better part about it, Stephen, is that there's going to be 12 year old kids, 14 year old kids that use AI to create billion dollar companies because they put in the time to understand where the opportunities are and the opportunities that AI creates and they go to work with them. If I was 16 and I was looking to start a company, I would be like the smartest dude on AI in my neighborhood and go to the small medium sized businesses and show them how to use it. Or I would start my own business built around AI because it's going to be unstoppable.
- [56:47]
Stephen A. Smith
Last question for you. Back to basketball. If I said your 27% stake in the Dallas Mavericks is on the line with the right answer to this question, who's meeting in the NBA Finals and who's going to win it all?
- [57:02]
Mark Cuban
What you telling me the Dallas Mavericks are going to shock the world? What?
- [57:09]
Stephen A. Smith
Stop that nonsense, man. Come on, man. I just asked you.
- [57:13]
Mark Cuban
You're 27 MF FL to the core. You forget I was the season ticket owner in the 90s when if we won 11 games, that was a good season. Right? And so I am hardcore mavs. You can never get me off of that.
- [57:29]
Stephen A. Smith
Ever. Love you, man. It's good to see you, man. Thank you for being on the show, buddy. I'll talk to you soon. All right? Always.
- [57:35]
Mark Cuban
Stephen A.
- [57:35]
Travis L. Williams
Thank you.
- [57:36]
Stephen A. Smith
One and only Mark Cuban right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. That man's special. That man special. I give that to him. The Mavericks. Mavericks. They ain't gonna make the plan.
- [57:43]
Mark Cuban
They might not.
- [57:45]
Stephen A. Smith
We'll talk about that later. Up next, there's an HBCU All Star Game scheduled to take place this weekend as well. We can't forget to point that out because guess what? Yes, predominantly white institutions got a bulk of money and a bulk of talent, but HBCUs ain't no joke, y'all. I would know. I'm one of them. The founder for HBCU All Star Weekend and then some. Up next, one and only, Travis L. Williams with yours truly right here on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Back with more in a minute. Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show. As I said, I am a graduate of Winston Salem State University. Very, very, very proud graduate of an hbcu, which is something that obviously I talk about an awful lot. It's one of my missions in life to do everything that I can to help HBCUs continue to grow and to prosper, to gain the recognition and notoriety it so richly deserves across this nation. And what better way to tackle such a thing, to bring attention to such a thing? By talking or then talking to my next guest. He's a special dude doing special things. I can't wait for y'all to hear from this man right now. My next guest is the founder of sports marketing and media company HBCU allstars, llc. He's here to discuss the upcoming HBCU All Star Game. As a proud graduate of Winston Salem State University, anytime I can spotlight HBCUs, you know I'm about to do that. Please welcome Mr. Travis L. Williams to the show. What's going on, Travis? How are you, man? How's everything?
- [59:29]
Travis L. Williams
Everything good, man. Thank you for having me on the show. Like I said, in less than 13 days, we're getting ready to host a historic and epic event, Final Four weekend in the great city of San Antonio.
- [59:38]
Stephen A. Smith
I can't wait for it. This is the fourth year of the HBCU All Star Game. For those who may not be familiar with it, explain. Tell us what's going on.
- [59:45]
Travis L. Williams
Yeah, this is 4th annual HBCU all Star Game for the men. And so we currently have the nation's top 24 men's HBCU All Stars represent all 48 of our prestigious HBCUs from our four premier black college conference. A conference that you're familiar with. Ciaa, Big Clarence, Big house games, the SIEC, the SWAC, the MIAC, our independent schools, Tennessee State, Hampton, NC A&T. So we have some of the nation's top black college basketball players, but more importantly, as you mentioned, the first ever women HBCU All Star Game ever.
- [60:20]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [60:21]
Travis L. Williams
During the 40 year history of the NCAA. March Madness. Turner. So this is going to be a historic doubleheader featuring the nation's top men and the nation's top 24 women that will represent the culture of black college basketball.
- [60:33]
Stephen A. Smith
Are both games, are both games going to be played on the same day or is it going to be separate days?
- [60:37]
Travis L. Williams
No, that's a double header. So our men would start 12:00pm Central Standard Time, 1:00pm Eastern Time in San Antonio. And our women game with me, lift falling. So we're truly excited for this historic moment. First time ever.
- [60:49]
Stephen A. Smith
Now the game has been televised on CBS Sports for the last three years, but now you have a new broadcast partnership. Talk about that for a second.
- [60:55]
Travis L. Williams
Yeah, it's been a. We had a great historic run there with CBS Sports for the past three years. We just recently announced a partnership with the CW network that we're truly excited with. The CW Network. But also a few days ago, NBC Universal, Peacock plus NBC Sports Channel. So both men and women HBCU All Stars games will actually have a national and global platform to showcase the best in black college basketball. Truly excited about that and we're really excited for this great opportunity and partnership.
- [61:28]
Stephen A. Smith
Let me get back to the women for a second here because I'm just looking at my notes. First round of NCAA tournament number 13. See, Norfolk State gave Maryland a run for its money. All right. Before falling in that matchup, Southern University defeated UC San Diego for its first NCAA tournament, winning seven appearances. Did the growth of the WNBA influence your decision to add the ladies game to. For this hbcu? Also we.
- [61:53]
Travis L. Williams
Well, in this business we already knew we were going to have the women game, but in space, as you know, you, you're HBCU grab, we got to make sure they was right. And so you just mentioned the three year partnership with CBS Sport, the foundation of blueprint was already knew, we knew we were going to be there. And so at the three historic years, back to back sellouts in Houston in 2023 and 2024 in Phoenix, where you know that no HBCUs exist, the time is now greater quality, greater exposure and greater access for our women in this game of basketball. So we're truly excited. But you can see the height of where the WNBA women's basketball is going. And so we truly excited to bring this historic moment for our women's basketball.
- [62:33]
Stephen A. Smith
Is it possible that women's basketball is becoming almost as popular as the men's basketball on the collegiate level?
- [62:40]
Travis L. Williams
Oh, definitely. No doubt, no doubt. When we first announced it in, in November that we were doing the women's HBCU also it was, it was the most trending thing possible. And as you saw it affected our numbers in Phoenix. It's affected every numbers even for the NCAA tournament women basketball and the level they playing and the prestige that is bringing, it's at an all time high. My daughter plays middle school basketball so you know, I'm a big proponent of really pushing initiative with our women in sports. And so a lot of my staff members, I'm surpr surrounded by women in sports. So I think it's very important that we give them their justice, we give them the exposure, we give them their access. That's well deserved.
- [63:18]
Stephen A. Smith
Is it possible that you're visualizing what I'm visualizing? That there's a possibility that women's sports, I'm talking Madison Avenue, I'm talking marketing dollars, has the potential to grow in popularity in a way that'll rival the men because whereas the men talent speaks for itself, you know, in terms of their gender. The flip side to it is that women appear to be a bit more trustworthy. Not only are they ultra talented, but they don't. They seem to be a bit more trustworthy and reliable when it comes to marketing. Is that something that you've been paying attention to, monitoring or taking into consideration at all?
- [63:53]
Travis L. Williams
I think for me, when the vision was launched in October 2019 at the 17 successful years of coaching. I'm a former prestigious coach at two HBCUs, Tennessee State University and Fort Valley State University. I played ball here at Gibson State University. So I've kind of been on both sides of the aisle and really seeing the difference between the have and the have nots in this space. To be able to provide this national global platform for our women speaks in volumes. And so when we announced it in November and what you can see now when we announced the top 24 women this past Monday. And so I think it speaks in volume to their, as you mentioned, their marketability, their talent on and off the court and women in sports in general. So we're just truly excited about what it could bring.
- [64:37]
Stephen A. Smith
I wanted to ask you this too because I'm just paying attention to all of this other stuff and you know, with this game going on, this HBCU game coincided with basketball championship weekend. What other events do you have taken place? Because it's championship weekend going on. I'm just wondering how y'all gonna fit in with all of this.
- [64:55]
Travis L. Williams
Well, I think that's a great question. You know, I'm a former college basketball coach, so we're integrated with everything that goes around the basketball game. Really impactful. But what we do off the course, Stephen, as you mentioned, we do a college admissions fair where we've invited all 100 plus of our HBCUs to come to San Antonio and participate. Our ultimate goal in San Antonio is to touch over 10,000 from our previous three HBCU All Star Game of high school students that we've been able to expose to our HBCUs across the country. Look at the stats. If anyone knows the stats, you know the stats. 450 NBA players, 30 NBA teams, 144 WNBA players, 12 WNBA teams. We have zero representation of HBCUs on this roster. The last player that we know, that you're very familiar, Philadelphia 76. Robert Covington played for me at Tennessee State University. So just think about that when we hear those stats. That's the hard reality because we know there's just. We're just as talented, but being able to provide this global national platform for our HBCUs matter. And so we do a pro day combine on that Friday prior to the all Star games on Saturday, we took it one step further. We hired BAM testing company that comes in do all our measurements. So when our scouts come in attendance, we're able to handle my measurement because we know a lot of times they're not going to our HBCU campuses and recruiting and seeing our guys. But a platform like this makes it very, very important for them. And we know they're being time visiting those final four participating teams. You know, that's important. Outreach, engagement is important. We hope we do a legacy court dedication there in each one of those hosts and cities. And as you know, with the landscape, everything going on, we're big in the social justice and civil rights. It's a part of what we do. Ben Crump and a lot of our leaders, they come to our All Star games every year. And a major part of this because this is important for our culture, this is important for our community. As you know the NCAA been around 40 plus years. There's never been an HBCU All Star game of this magnitude for both men and women during a space of Final.
- [67:02]
Stephen A. Smith
Four weekend without question and I think it's a very big thing. I love the fact that you brought up Robin Covington because I just saw him when I took first take my day job at ESPN When I took the show to Tennessee State a few months ago, he was right there in the Tennessee. I got a lot of love for that brother. And then I'm looking at it right now. HBCU is making his history and other sports how it Only HBCU with an NCAA Division 1 swimming and diving program. Fisk first to have a gymnastics program. Xavier University first and only men's and women's rowing program in Tennessee State. Only HBCU with an ice hockey team. So we know the talent is there when we're talking about HBCUs. I tell people that all the time don't think I'm the brightest. Trust me, there's a whole lot of talent that emanates from hbcu. Somehow some way we've got to get. We've got to garner the level of notoriety that they so richly deserve. Speak to the power of HBCUs despite having fewer resources. And what can be done to elevate the profile of HBCUs even more so than what you're doing right now?
- [68:05]
Travis L. Williams
Yes, and that's important. Like I said, the having opportunity on and off the basketball court. Being able to show the world that HBCUs matter. We believe in ear and or and as anyone can attest to this, we believe in exposure, access, recognition, opportunity, resources and results for our Pride and prestigious HBCUs. Hard working talent, ambitious and very deserving students and student athletes nationally and globally around the world. The time is now. We think it's important that in less than 13 days we get ready to host a historic doubleheader matchup featuring the nation's top men and women HBCU All Stars during Final Four weekend college basketball biggest weekend. We need to make sure that we send a loud and clear message the importance of what this means to us in our HBCU community. If you can't be in attendance, watch it on television, follow it live on stream. Support our HBCU All Star scholarship fund. We have a HBCU All Star Scholarship Fund. Stephen A. As you mentioned, you know about some ihbcu. If there's a student out there in need of financial assistance, we're here to support, you know, if there's a current HBCU student in there struggling on their HBCU campus, we're here to support through our HBCU All Stars initiative. We want to make sure folks understand you're one of the brightest that come through one of the best examples, Winston Salem State, Clarence Big house gate and the platform that you're having and bringing us here to be able to elevate HBCUs. And so there's not a stigma with HBCUs. We're just as talented as anyone else. We're just looking for the same opportunity, the same access, the same resources opportunities. And I think that's what's important for us in this culture.
- [69:47]
Stephen A. Smith
Now, the founder himself, marketing and media company, HBCU All Star llc, the one and only Travis L. Williams, right here on the Stephen H. Mystery at HBCU All Star Game airs live Sunday, April 6th on the CW Network. To attend the game, visit hbcuallstargame.com for ticket information. Travis Appreciate you, my brother. Always here for you, my man. Thank you for coming on the show. I'll talk to you soon.
- [70:11]
Travis L. Williams
I appreciate you. You keep up the great work you're doing, my brother.
- [70:13]
Stephen A. Smith
Thanks again to the one and only Travis L. Williams. Continue to do the great work that you've been doing, my man. We definitely, definitely appreciate you and need to hear more from you in the future. Make no mistake about that. That is it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. Final Four week is in the house. I'm picking Duke in North Carolina. I'm sorry, Duke in Florida. Duke, North Carolina is that rivalry thing that I can never let go of. But as Duke Florida, I expect to win their semifinals matchups over the weekend and meet on Monday for the national championship. That's who I'm rolling with. UConn South Carolina. I'm predicting they'll meet for the national title as well. In women's college basketball, I picked South Carolina to cut down the nets, but I'm sort of shaky on that because Paige Beckers was no joke. I was for Florida, but Cooper Flag. But Walter Clayton Jr. But Cooper Flagg. I'll let you know how I feel about that Mets national championship game on Monday. Let's make sure Duke and Florida get there first. Until next time, everybody. Peace and love. Enjoy your weekend. God bless. Foreign.
- [71:22]
Travis L. Williams
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- [71:58]
Ryan Reynolds
Welcome to AutoZone what are you working on today?
- [72:00]
Stephen A. Smith
My car is making this noise. Sometimes it's like and sometimes it's like.
- [72:06]
Ryan Reynolds
Do you have a dash light on?
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Stephen A. Smith
Oh yeah.
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Ryan Reynolds
And we don't have to listen for clues. With the free fix finder service we can read a check engine, ABS or maintenance light to find the likely fix and even recommend a local shop if you need one.
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Stephen A. Smith
So you don't need to hear the.
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Ryan Reynolds
Not with Fix Finder free at every autozone.
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Stephen A. Smith
Get in the zone.
- [72:25]
Ryan Reynolds
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