Stephen A. Smith Taunting Tyrese Haliburton for Calling Out ‘Talking Heads’ Irks Fans: “Thinks He’s Jesus”

Tyrese Haliburton had spoken out against media criticism of his Game 2 performances which led to Indiana Pacers' loss.

Stephen A. Smith Taunting Tyrese Haliburton for Calling Out ‘Talking Heads’ Irks Fans: “Thinks He’s Jesus”

Stephen A. Smith taunts Tyrese Haliburton after the latter called him out (Image via FirstSportz)

Tyrese Haliburton has played his part in helping lead the Indiana Pacers to a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. They have another game at home tomorrow, where they’ll hope to use their momentum to take a commanding lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After the game, it was all about how the Pacers dominated the 4th quarter, outplaying arguably the best team in the league at their own game. Post-game media sessions also focused on how the home team outsmarted the Thunder into forcing them to commit turnovers they haven’t done all season long.

Towards the end of Haliburton’s presser, he mentioned how he did what was necessary and called out members of the media who criticized his Game 2 performance. He believed those analysts were just ‘talking heads’ who had no knowledge of the game and were blabbering.

It was evident who he was talking about, as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had just called out the Pacers guard after Game 2, asking why his performances had gone missing. Haliburton’s latest jab naturally caught Smith’s attention, and he decided to address it on First Take.

Just in case he was talking about me, my brother, I’m not going away. I’m going to be here for a while. And players far more accomplished and far more superior have made their efforts trying to call me out. How has that worked out?

Stephen A. Smith said

The 57-year-old analyst mentioned that it has become a habit of current generation stars to call out media members whenever they are criticized. With this taunt, it seems he wanted to let Tyrese Haliburton know that after resigning with ESPN, he will be here for a while, which means Smith can continue to criticize players as he pleases.

Fans take offense to Stephen A. Smith’s ‘egotistical’ taunt at Tyrese Haliburton

Basketball fans watching Stephen A. Smith say these words on First Take were baffled. They could not understand how analysts could talk this way, as if they were bigger than superstar athletes. Fans believe Smith is doing everything he can to become bigger than these stars, and that starts with the way he talks.

They believe his words prove Kevin Durant‘s words, where he suggested some media analysts think of themselves to be the superstars in sports and can say anything they want. Most of the reactions to these clips were negative, with fans asking ESPN to realize that this might hurt them. Check out examples of those reactions below.

In the eyes of fans and many of his peers, Stephen A. Smith’s last back-and-forth with LeBron James did not go well. However, he still does not stop taking jabs at whoever he wants. As James mentioned in the past, these ‘old talking heads’ are making themselves bigger than the players, and it could have had an impact on fan perception and, hence, ratings.

Nick Wright believes Tyrese Haliburton’s jabs were ‘unfair’

There is a section of fans who believe Tyrese Haliburton and LeBron James were right to call out older media members who constantly criticize the sport. On the flip side, First Things First‘s Nick Wright believes the opinion of many former players on podcasts is wild, too.

Nick Wright believes it is unfair for Tyrese Haliburton to decide who can criticize players
Nick Wright believes it is unfair for Tyrese Haliburton to decide who can criticize players (Image via NBA/FS1/X)

The gate-keeping of who is and isn’t allowed to talk about hoop when the biggest experts talking about hoop seem to have some of the wildest opinions out there, I think, is unfair.

Nick Wright said

Wright added that there is no boundary on who can talk hoops, as long as the take makes sense. The analyst reiterated that the judgment Tyrese Haliburton received after Game 2 from his peers in the media was spot on, as his Game 3 performances proved that very point.

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