Stephen A. Smith’s controversial remarks about Steph Curry on Wednesday did not sit well with his ESPN colleague Jay Williams, who argued that Curry hasn’t just thrived in this new era of basketball; he created it. Williams criticized Smith for relying on “anonymous ghosts of the past” to diminish the Golden State Warriors star’s achievements.
For context, Smith claimed on First Take that a “Hall of Famer” informed him that Curry wouldn’t have excelled in previous eras. “I had a Hall of Famer come up to me and said, ‘Steph Curry would not have averaged more than 17 points a game. Now, obviously, I think that person should have been drug tested when he said that to me,” said Smith. “But then I quieted down because he wasn’t talking about his skill set. He said, ‘In our era, we would’ve hurt him.’”
“I had a Hall of Famer come up to me and said to me, ‘Steph Curry would not have averaged more than 17 points a game. … In our era, we would’ve hurt him.’”😳 @stephenasmith on Draymond Green’s recent comments about comparing NBA eras 👀 pic.twitter.com/PxnstCSHR5
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 2, 2025
Williams called out Smith for using that unnamed source. He tweeted, “Stephen A …. you’re too smart to keep pushing barbershop hearsay like it’s fact. ‘A Hall of Famer told me Steph wouldn’t average more than 17?’ Come on. Name names or don’t bring it to the table. Steph Curry broke basketball. He didn’t just adapt to this era — he created it. So let’s stop using anonymous ghosts of the past to discredit the present.”
Stephen A …. you’re too smart to keep pushing barbershop hearsay like it’s fact.
“A Hall of Famer told me Steph wouldn’t average more than 17”? C’mon. Name names or don’t bring it to the table.Steph Curry broke basketball. He didn’t just adapt to this era — he created it.
So… https://t.co/YhyvhwXWMn— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) April 3, 2025
Curry, an 11-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion, is recognized as one of the greatest NBA players ever. It’s a significant stretch to question that, even for someone like Smith, who is known for his controversial takes. Notably, Smith didn’t claim he personally believed Curry wouldn’t have been great in the past; he only relayed what the “anonymous player” said. In fact, just a couple of years ago, Smith was considering placing Curry on his NBA “Mount Rushmore,” highlighting him as one of the four best players in league history.
Stephen A. Smith is preparing to bump LeBron off Mount Rushmore for Steph Curry pic.twitter.com/5qoMoVZusl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 3, 2023
Smith’s comments on Wednesday quickly drew backlash on social media. TNT Studio host Adam Lefkoe shared a video of Smith, stating, “Questioning Steph Curry’s ability to be great in any era is frustratingly absurd.”
