Stephen A. Smith’s confidential source didn’t know what he was getting into when he informed him that Jaylen Brown wasn’t a marketable person. Things got to a level where the Boston Celtics star had to sit face-to-face with the ESPN analyst to address the rumors going on around him. Brown called out Smith and asked him to reveal his sources, to which the ESPN analyst declined.
Stephen A. Smith’s reason to do so was that he wanted to maintain a “journalistic integrity.” But that doesn’t sit well with ex-Golden State Warriors star, Gilbert Arenas. The former NBA player took to his podcast, Gil’s Arena and took shots at Stephen A. Smith, Adrian Wojnarowski, and Shams Charania and called them “preachers, not Gods.”
The usage of the term “preachers” stems from the fact that the ESPNs crew reportedly provides second hand information that in some cases doesn’t stand true. He took shots at Woj for saying that if he relies on other sources to get information, that means he’s not “important anymore.” Stephen A. Smith couldn’t stand the slander and replied to Gilbert Arenas on his self-titled podcast.
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USA Today via Reuters Stephen A. Smith in 2021. (Image Courtesy: Tori Lynn Schneider / USA TODAY NETWORK, Imagn)
“You can’t get information if you can’t use sourced material,” Stephen A. said referring to Gilbert Arenas after saying that he didn’t find his comments to be offensive. “You do not acquire information if everybody that you get the information from has to come on the camera, on the microphone, on audio, and reveal who they are and give their opinions.”
Smith further tried to prove his point by asking Arenas if he’s never spoken to people off the record. But let’s come back to the source of all the controversy; Jaylen Brown. We still don’t know who the unnamed source is that Stephen A. Smith was talking about. However, in 3x All-Star’s eyes, the confidential source is a “coward.” So in light of that, what did Gilbert Arena’s say about Stephen A. and the ESPN crew?
Gilbert Arenas makes waves taking about Stephen A. Smith and ESPNs NBA Insiders
This isn’t the first time Arenas took a shot at the NBA Insiders. But let’s first address what he said about Stephen A. and his company that brings interesting takes on what’s going on in sports. Pertaining to the matter of Jaylen Brown, Arenas said on his podcast, “When you break down their job, the Woj’s and all of them, what do they rely on? All their information about the sport has to come from somebody else because they’ve never done it.”
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via Getty MIAMI, FL – JUNE 7: Stephen A. Smith during Game Three of the 2023 NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat on June 7, 2023 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Eric Espada/NBAE via Getty Images)
He further pointed out that if Woj reveals his sources, people would not be looking forward to seeing him and berated him for not being able to get the information first hand. “If someone like Woj tells you who’s giving him the information, that means he’s not f—ing important anymore. You are not important, you are a vessel for information. You are a preacher, not god.”
As mentioned, this is not the first time he’s taking shots at Adrian Wojnarowski. Back in July, news broke out from Woj that UConn coach Dan Hurley will sign a 6-year $70 million deal with the Lakers to be their HC. The Los Angeles team later hired JJ Reddick as their new coach and Gilbert Arenas was fuming at this. Later, Anthony Irwin of LakersDaily.com reported that the Lakers will sign Klay Thompson to a 4-year $80 million deal, which also didn’t turn out to be true. He ended up going to Dallas. Arenas was fuming at all the rumors floating around.
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As a Lakers fan, Arenas didn’t mince his words when he said, “We [Lakers] didn’t offer no $80 million, dawg,” and “Stop listening to Woj and them. We didn’t offer him [Klay] $80 [million], we didn’t offer that coach no $70 million. Y’all crazy, it’s crazy talk. We the Lakers, you use our name to get famous … to boost their financial status with other teams. We did not offer these people that kind of money.”
Stephen A. is right to protect his source and by doing what he does, he’s not only protecting the identity of his sources, but is also taking the blame and backlash from the people. Perhaps that a downside of using second hand information that Gilbert Arenas has to come to grips with.