LOOK: Kyrie Irving responds to Stephen A Smith after social media spat
ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith is known to get under people’s skin from time to time, and Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving is his latest target. After it was reported Monday that Irving chose to opt in to his $37 million player option with the Nets amidst trade rumors, Smith took to Twitter to share his opinion in a two-minute video rant.
“So what does that mean?” the ESPN analyst asked in the video. “To y’all it means Kyrie’s gonna be a Brooklyn Net. You know what it means to me? I guess he’s a peon too, huh? So you gotta go to work. You actually got to show up to work. You gotta go up there and earn that money. …(Irving is) offended. He’s appalled. He’s put back by the fact that the Brooklyn Nets actually said you have to show up to earn your money. We know that offends him.”
Irving didn’t take long to defend himself, firing back with a tweet of his own hours later.
“@stephenasmith you’re gonna have to explain yourself to people in your generation,” Irving wrote. “I am not around many 50 plus year olds that speak and act like you do, so this is new for me. But I am sure my father and my uncles can meet you on your level better than I can. We know you STEPHEN.”
Of course, Stephen A Smith was not going to let Kyrie Irving get the last word in. Within minutes of the Brooklyn Nets star’s response, the ESPN analyst had already crafted a lengthy note of his own in which he challenged Irving to come on his show.
“Oh, you’ve got it twisted bro!” Smith began. “Big time! I don’t have to explain a damn thing to anyone — especially you and your father!!! …As for you, when you have a LEVEL, let me know. Because I’m not aware you have one — off the court. Either way, I have a wish: ONE DAY you’ll stop hiding behind the public support you receive and fess up to the shenanigans you engage in…leaving folks hanging like laundry.
“…Until then, let’s confront one another 1-on-1 for the WORLD to see — your TRUTH up against mine in a public forum for everyone to judge. Name the time and place and I’ll show up! I keep receipts, bro! SHOW UP! You know what this is, don’t you?”
Last season was a difficult one for everyone involved with Brooklyn — mainly due to Iriving’s inability to stay on the court. He could not play home games at the Barclays Center, meaning he only played on the Nets’ road trips.
Add in a disappointing playoff series loss to Boston and it was considered a bust of a year. With Kyrie Irving opting in, he will hope to prove Stephen A Smith and the rest of his doubters wrong next season.