(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
It’s not uncommon to see Stephen A. Smith get incredibly fired up about the NBA.
But sometimes he gets a little too hot for his own liking and has to reel things in.
On Tuesday morning, Smith issued an apology to American track and field star Noah Lyles.
Lyles created a hubbub recently when he said that he doesn’t feel it’s appropriate for the winning team of the NBA Finals to be called “world champions.”
The other day, Smith shot back at Lyles, calling him “flagrantly ignorant.”
On Tuesday, he brought the temperature down, via ClutchPoints on Twitter.
“My opinion about what he said, I thought I was a bit harsh,” Smith said.
He added: “We still disagree to some degree, but the bottom line is the word ‘ignorant’, that was just inaccurate on my part.”
“My opinion about what he said, I thought I was a bit harsh… we still disagree to some degree, but the bottom line is the word ‘ignorant’, that was just inaccurate on my part.”
Stephen A. Smith issues an apology to Noah Lyles on First Takepic.twitter.com/slEPvA2ALI https://t.co/vp2daMa7Bw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 29, 2023
Lyles’ words have brewed a lot of emotion throughout the NBA and its fanbase.
Many loyal followers, players, analysts, and writers have spoken out, saying that Lyles’ comments are off-base and ignoring the fact that many international stars play in the NBA.
But others understand Lyles’ point: they agree that the NBA is a North American league, even with multiple big-name foreign-born players.
Smith agrees with the latter opinion but he is still trying to be respectful.
That’s partly because Lyles is currently representing America on the world stage and doing so professionally and successfully.
No matter if Smith agrees with him or not about this matter, he is still rooting him on and hoping he continues to win on behalf of the United States.
Smith might not see eye-to-eye with Lyles but he is definitely going to wish him the best and cheer him on.
He will enthusiastically debate against him but he will try to do so respectfully.
The post Stephen A. Smith Apologizes To Noah Lyles After Heated Rant appeared first on The Cold Wire.