Boston Celtics
“My provide nonetheless stands. You need me to be quiet and cease streaming? Effectively, I need you to be quiet and get off these networks.”
Celtics star Jaylen Brown continued his disagreement with longtime ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith on Sunday night time.
After urging Smith to “be quiet” and “retire” earlier this month while on his Twitch stay stream, Brown didn’t mince phrases on his newest stream whereas taking Smith to process over his blunt criticism of the Celtics ahead since Boston’s 2025-26 season got here to an in depth.
Throughout Sunday’s stream, Brown performed a clip from ESPN’s “First Take” on May 7, the place Smith known as out Brown for stating that the 2025-26 season was the favourite of his NBA profession.
Word: Brown makes use of sturdy language within the video.
“Man, f— Stephen A. Stephen A, Stephen B, Stephen C,” Brown mentioned after pausing the clip as soon as Smith mentioned that Brown must “be quiet.” “My provide nonetheless stands. You need me to be quiet and cease streaming? Effectively, I need you to be quiet and get off these networks. Since you’re not utilizing your platform to do actual journalism. You’re utilizing your platform to make use of clickbait.”
Brown went by means of most of Smith’s section from that Might 7 episode of “First Take”, the place Smith mentioned that Brown wanted to cease speaking on these streams — contemplating that the NBA fined Brown $50,000 earlier this month for criticizing officiating within the playoffs.
“Except you’re attempting to get traded,” Smith added of the doable reasoning for Brown’s candid feedback as of late.
Brown pushed again additional on Sunday.
“Inform this mom—— to retire, as a result of he’s the face of clickbait media,” Brown mentioned. “And perhaps together with his retirement, we may spark a motion to get the remainder of these mom——s out of right here.
“Or to even have some sort of, overlook journalistic integrity, precise integrity to be able to maintain themselves accountable to the bull—- takes they put out with no foundation, no bias, no info. Simply narrative. Only for the sake of simply pushing a weak narrative. Simply purely out of that.”
Smith additionally urged on his ESPN section that fellow Celtics star Jayson Tatum was on “First Take” as an alternative of Brown’s Twitch stream on account of his obvious frustration with Brown’s latest feedback.
As anticipated, Brown additionally pushed again in opposition to such an insinuation.
“What sort of journalism is that this?” Brown requested. “Jayson Tatum hasn’t been on my stream, and that is what we’re speaking about on First Take? What if [Tatum] simply don’t like being someplace in an uncontrolled setting? Why are you doing journalism on me having visitors on my stream? And this is part of the explanation why I began streaming. This is part of the explanation why individuals use the time period ‘clown,’ and it synchronizes with somebody like Stephen A. Smith. As a result of that is what you’re utilizing your platform for. What are you speaking about?”
“It is a narrative that he’s creating. This isn’t journalism,” Brown continued. “That is him making his personal opinion and [formulating] it about what I’ve to say, on his platform. And because of this, respectfully, lots of people say, ‘F— Stephen A.’ As a result of that is the kind of stuff he does, after which he doesn’t acknowledge it.”
Smith initially known as out Brown over his Twitch remarks shortly after Boston’s season ended — with Brown calling out NBA officiating, saying that Sixers star Joel Embiid flops an excessive amount of, and stressing how a lot he loved the 2025-26 season, even when it ended with a first-round exit by the hands of the Sixers.
“[Flopping] will not be why the Boston Celtics misplaced,” Smith said earlier this month. “The Boston Celtics misplaced as a result of they lived and died with the three, as a result of they performed dumb basketball down the stretch. … They only launched three after three after three and missed six or seven straight threes within the final two minutes [of Game 7].
“They blew this chance. They have been up 3-1, and also you misplaced. This isn’t the time to be speaking about Joel Embiid flopping — rattling positive not [the time] to do a present, a podcast present, or video present about it.”
Brown later went on a Twitch stream to clarify and add context to some of his original comments — particularly ones relating to his affinity for this previous season.
“I imply, we blew a 3-1 lead, and yeah — we misplaced within the first spherical. We didn’t win a championship. However the quantity of development, the expectations that these identical [critics] have for us, is why this was my favourite yr, as a result of I received to see it in apply. … The expectations have been for this crew was to fail,” Brown mentioned on Might 6 about this previous season. “The expectations was the crew [would] be nothing, simply to offer in to and to stop. And this crew did the precise reverse. We fought each single day. We fought for the whole lot.
“I’m not making no excuses,” Brown added. “Clearly, the outcome — we’re not happy with the outcome. … However to combat and maneuver by means of adversity and develop and impress with a bunch of fellows and have that mindset and method, this was my favourite yr. I wouldn’t say by far. By far could be a stretch, as a result of clearly, profitable the championship is nice, however I’m telling y’all, this was my favourite season.”
Given Brown’s newest feedback, don’t be shocked if Smith continues these back-and-forth salvos of retorts on Monday morning when “First Take” airs as soon as once more.
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