Stephen A. Smith Giving Kyrie Irving ‘Props’ For Vaccine Theory Does Not Sit Well with Fans – “Tried to Run Him Out of the NBA”

Stephen A. Smith seems to be taking a u-turn with his views on Kyrie Irving.

Stephen A. Smith Giving Kyrie Irving ‘Props’ For Vaccine Theory Does Not Sit Well with Fans – “Tried to Run Him Out of the NBA”

Kyrie Irving and Stephen A. Smith (Image via FirstSportz)

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Kyrie Irving has come a long way from the time when the likes of Stephen A. Smith and others painted him as the NBA’s bona fide villain. The superstar guard has now become a much-loved figure.

It is a stark contrast to the times when he first started to speak up about the league’s insistence on players being vaccinated. The point guard did not want to and suggested that it was a ploy for capitalists to make money.

Irving did not get support from any quarters. Rather, he was ostracized by former players, analysts, and even the mayor of Brooklyn, Eric Adams, who passed a mandate to ban him from playing at Barclays Center.

That, along with the Brooklyn Nets’ reluctance to give him a new long-term deal, saw him join the Dallas Mavericks via trade. Even then, Kyrie Irving was still being painted as the villain.

Recently, several conspiracy theories have pointed fingers at the previous Joe Biden administration. Those theories centered around the COVID-19 vaccine and its potential harmful side effects.

Now that the public’s perception about the vaccine is changing, so is the opinion of many. Stephen A. Smith, for instance, appeared on the latest episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, where he said:

Kyrie’s a good brother… Now, obviously, in hindsight, the brother’s right because we see all the conspiracy theories that came out. And props to him for having the foresight to see that. We didn’t see that at the time.

Essentially, the ESPN analyst now believes that the NBA champion was right from the off. Just that when he saw billionaires and top politicians take the vaccine, he was led to believe that the athlete was wrong.

Fans remind Stephen A. Smith of his antics against Kyrie Irving

Stephen A. Smith might have enough reason to believe that Kyrie Irving might have been right all this time. Now, he feels the Dallas Mavericks star was wrongly criticized at the time.

The analyst tried to justify his stance, but fans were having none of it. They quickly reminded Smith of all he said at the time. From painting him as villain, to talking about his motivation.

Then, to lead narratives that could have cost Irving a spot in the NBA, fans believed Smith could not just reverse course now without an official apology. Check out examples of those reactions below:

Of late, Stephen A. Smith has been talking about a lot of controversial topics on any platform he appears on. Therefore, fans believe that in this instance, the ESPN executive producer should have apologized publicly to his fellow New York native.

Kyrie Irving’s Mavs will win title, says Stephen A. Smith

Later on the show, when Stephen A. Smith was asked about his predictions for the upcoming 2025-26 season, the longtime journalist and analyst said:

Kyrie Irving and a healthy Mavericks will be NBA title contenders
Kyrie Irving and a healthy Mavericks will be NBA title contenders (Image via HoopMix/X)

If Kyrie Irving comes back healthy, and Anthony Davis is healthy, I think Dallas should be the favorite to win it all.

Stephen A. Smith said

He believes that a healthy Dallas Mavericks will easily defeat the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, and anyone else that stands in their way.

Smith feels that this year’s Mavs team is well-rounded and can send out different iterations according to their opponents. That should get them to their second NBA championship.

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