Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
And in the lead.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
By the way, let's talk about sports media, specifically television
ratings for the National Basketball Association.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Viewership on television.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Is down for the league, and there are many factors
that are believed to contribute to that. Commissioner Adam Silver
acknowledges the decline in viewership, but he doesn't blame the
product on the court. Silver notes the decline and cable subscribers,
which would naturally account for the drop in viewership. However,
NBA legend and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson has another take.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
He blames the players. Listen to this quote.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
In fact, he is how Magic explained why today's NBA
players are to blame for the ratings decline.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Quote. They don't hate each other.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I hated Larry and every Celtic, the Celtics and Lakers
hated each other. It made for great TV and people
tuning in. Now everybody's shaking each other's hands. Everybody likes
each other, won't go at each other really hard. It's
got to get back to that, and there's a reason
why the numbers are going down. And these guys better
wake up and say, hey man, we gotta change this.
(01:07):
And also load management the guys gotta play. End quote.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Listen to me.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
When I say what I have to say. I'm not
trying to cast dispersions. You folks on YouTube and social
media got to get a bit more creative. Everything is
about hat hating. Why telling the facts is hating? When
Lebron James departed from Miami, went back to Cleveland and
then came back to play against de Wade in the
(01:42):
Miami Heat, when pat Riley had to go in the
back because he wanted to throw up because of how
much Lebron and d Wade were hugging each other on
the court during the game, and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You don't remember that. You don't remember that.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
You don't see all this hugging and coonby yaing going on.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
You don't remember all of that.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You don't see players sitting up there and following Lebron
James lead. Remember when Lebron used to play in Cleveland,
they used to pose and take pictures and faint and
taking pictures and all of this other stuff before they
got their ass kicked and bounced out of the players
my Bosston or somebody. You don't remember all of that.
Why did Lebron James go to Miami. It's one thing
(02:26):
to leave Cleveland, but why go to Miami. Remember how
Boston was giving it to him. Remember how Paul Pearis
was chirping. Remember how KG was then right, Yeah, Remember
how Ray Allen ultimately turned KG and others into enemies
(02:48):
until years later because he went to the enemy. Remember
how KG came right on this show and broke down
what it was like for him to go to anybody,
go to anybody but Miami.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
There were how enemies.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
This is what happened. Got to remember just recently there
were enemies. Boston was enemies with Miami, not just the Lakers.
Lebron comes along and you're getting along with everybody. Remember
how we used to sit up there and talk about
how Jordan was an assassin and Lebron was such a
nice guy and such a nicer human being and getting
(03:21):
the law. You know what happened to that, ladies and gentlemen. Branding,
That's what happened. Everybody saw a way to cultivate relationships
with one another, ultimately doing business with one another or
advising one another on how to do business and get
more money than all of this other stuff. And as
a result, everybody was about brand protection.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
But they ain't the only ones. The NBA is.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Guilty of this too, because you took the physicality out
of the game to a lesser degree. The NBA saw
in the nineties that the game wasn't as attractive as
it used to be, started implementing rules of regulations to
take out some of that physicality, and as a result,
hate diss the page too, because if somebody ain't getting
away with dockey, you upside the damn head, or they
(04:02):
no doing so can get themselves dejected, suspended, fined, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
It's gonna be less of that.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Less of that means leads to more cordiality. More cordiality
leads to you getting the loan better, You getting the
loan better. These you ain't enemies the way that you
used to be, And as a result, everybody ends up
singing cool by y'all to one another. And sometimes I
watch the NBA and wonder if it was the latest
(04:27):
episode of General Hospital or Right or Young and a Restless.
That's what we're talking about. When Magic Johnson's talking about
that hatred him and Isaiah were boys. You see how
you treated Isaiah when Isaiah came down the middle in
the NBA Finals.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
You know why I ain't did that. You know why
he did that because.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It was a championship on the line. Ain't your damn
friend right now? We can handle that shit later. Right now,
I'm trying to bust your ass and not you out
of here, That's.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
What he's saying.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
And then ultimately Isaiah try to come back at them,
and there was no talking, there was no fragnizing, there
was no dinners.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
I'm trying to beat you.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
While you think everybody loves Giannas in this day and age,
because he don't work with nobody in the offseason.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
They're all his enemy. He's coming to destroy them.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's what we love to see.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
That doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Because everybody mingling with one another. It ain't just because
of the money they are getting. It's because the money
they stand to get by talking and vibing with one another,
exchanging business ideas, even doing business together.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
In attitude of the zones.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We give you that forty eight minutes on the court,
we good and in the end we don't really care
because we got our paper.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
But it's hurt the game.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
And Magic Johnson is qualified to say and see if
it's Stephen a bump.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Steven Ay, who the hell is he? Hell with him?
Say ass can't play anyway?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Well, Magic's a five time champion and the greatest point
guard in the history of basketball, who, by the way,
business acumen, networking ability, willingness to co mingle and get
along and cultivate and network and create relationships has turned
them damn there into a billionaire. And he spearheaded movements
(06:32):
that were ultimately followed by Michael Jordan himself, and to
this day and age, Kobe Bryant.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And Lebron James and people like that and Shaq. Let's
not forget that.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Remember when Shaq was playing for the Lakers and he said,
I'm not worried about the Sacramento Queens.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
He didn't give a damn. He was the Diesel. What
you gonna do about it?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Remember when Charles walking the a round mount of rebound,
just running over people, throwing l bowls and all of
the We don't see too much of that these days.
That's what Magic is talking about. It's not applying to all,
it's not applying to some, but it's applying enough who
have the power to influence the game in a far
more competitively Ferverish Way and they.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Don't do it. Got you Magic Johnson's talking about look
it up. The evidence is all there. You know who?
You know which players I'm talking about. You know
And in the lead.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
By the way, let's talk about sports media, specifically television
ratings for the National Basketball Association.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Viewership on television.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Is down for the league, and there are many factors
that are believed to contribute to that. Commissioner Adam Silver
acknowledges the decline in viewership, but he doesn't blame the
product on the court. Silver notes the decline and cable subscribers,
which would naturally account for the drop in viewership. However,
NBA legend and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson has another take.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
He blames the players. Listen to this quote.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
In fact, he is how Magic explained why today's NBA
players are to blame for the ratings decline.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Quote. They don't hate each other.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I hated Larry and every Celtic, the Celtics and Lakers
hated each other. It made for great TV and people
tuning in. Now everybody's shaking each other's hands. Everybody likes
each other, won't go at each other really hard. It's
got to get back to that, and there's a reason
why the numbers are going down. And these guys better
wake up and say, hey man, we gotta change this.
(01:07):
And also load management the guys gotta play. End quote.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Listen to me.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
When I say what I have to say. I'm not
trying to cast dispersions. You folks on YouTube and social
media got to get a bit more creative. Everything is
about hat hating. Why telling the facts is hating? When
Lebron James departed from Miami, went back to Cleveland and
then came back to play against de Wade in the
(01:42):
Miami Heat, when pat Riley had to go in the
back because he wanted to throw up because of how
much Lebron and d Wade were hugging each other on
the court during the game, and stuff like that.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
You don't remember that. You don't remember that.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
You don't see all this hugging and coonby yaing going on.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
You don't remember all of that.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You don't see players sitting up there and following Lebron
James lead. Remember when Lebron used to play in Cleveland,
they used to pose and take pictures and faint and
taking pictures and all of this other stuff before they
got their ass kicked and bounced out of the players
my Bosston or somebody. You don't remember all of that.
Why did Lebron James go to Miami. It's one thing
(02:26):
to leave Cleveland, but why go to Miami. Remember how
Boston was giving it to him. Remember how Paul Pearis
was chirping. Remember how KG was then right, Yeah, Remember
how Ray Allen ultimately turned KG and others into enemies
(02:48):
until years later because he went to the enemy. Remember
how KG came right on this show and broke down
what it was like for him to go to anybody,
go to anybody but Miami.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
There were how enemies.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
This is what happened. Got to remember just recently there
were enemies. Boston was enemies with Miami, not just the Lakers.
Lebron comes along and you're getting along with everybody. Remember
how we used to sit up there and talk about
how Jordan was an assassin and Lebron was such a
nice guy and such a nicer human being and getting
(03:21):
the law. You know what happened to that, ladies and gentlemen. Branding,
That's what happened. Everybody saw a way to cultivate relationships
with one another, ultimately doing business with one another or
advising one another on how to do business and get
more money than all of this other stuff. And as
a result, everybody was about brand protection.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
But they ain't the only ones. The NBA is.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Guilty of this too, because you took the physicality out
of the game to a lesser degree. The NBA saw
in the nineties that the game wasn't as attractive as
it used to be, started implementing rules of regulations to
take out some of that physicality, and as a result,
hate diss the page too, because if somebody ain't getting
away with dockey, you upside the damn head, or they
(04:02):
no doing so can get themselves dejected, suspended, fined, et cetera.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
It's gonna be less of that.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Less of that means leads to more cordiality. More cordiality
leads to you getting the loan better, You getting the
loan better. These you ain't enemies the way that you
used to be, And as a result, everybody ends up
singing cool by y'all to one another. And sometimes I
watch the NBA and wonder if it was the latest
(04:27):
episode of General Hospital or Right or Young and a Restless.
That's what we're talking about. When Magic Johnson's talking about
that hatred him and Isaiah were boys. You see how
you treated Isaiah when Isaiah came down the middle in
the NBA Finals.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
You know why I ain't did that. You know why
he did that because.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It was a championship on the line. Ain't your damn
friend right now? We can handle that shit later. Right now,
I'm trying to bust your ass and not you out
of here, That's.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
What he's saying.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
And then ultimately Isaiah try to come back at them,
and there was no talking, there was no fragnizing, there
was no dinners.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
I'm trying to beat you.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
While you think everybody loves Giannas in this day and age,
because he don't work with nobody in the offseason.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
They're all his enemy. He's coming to destroy them.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's what we love to see.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
That doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Because everybody mingling with one another. It ain't just because
of the money they are getting. It's because the money
they stand to get by talking and vibing with one another,
exchanging business ideas, even doing business together.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
In attitude of the zones.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We give you that forty eight minutes on the court,
we good and in the end we don't really care
because we got our paper.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
But it's hurt the game.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
And Magic Johnson is qualified to say and see if
it's Stephen a bump.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Steven Ay, who the hell is he? Hell with him?
Say ass can't play anyway?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Well, Magic's a five time champion and the greatest point
guard in the history of basketball, who, by the way,
business acumen, networking ability, willingness to co mingle and get
along and cultivate and network and create relationships has turned
them damn there into a billionaire. And he spearheaded movements
(06:32):
that were ultimately followed by Michael Jordan himself, and to
this day and age, Kobe Bryant.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
And Lebron James and people like that and Shaq. Let's
not forget that.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Remember when Shaq was playing for the Lakers and he said,
I'm not worried about the Sacramento Queens.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
He didn't give a damn. He was the Diesel. What
you gonna do about it?
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Remember when Charles walking the a round mount of rebound,
just running over people, throwing l bowls and all of
the We don't see too much of that these days.
That's what Magic is talking about. It's not applying to all,
it's not applying to some, but it's applying enough who
have the power to influence the game in a far
more competitively Ferverish Way and they.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Don't do it. Got you Magic Johnson's talking about look
it up. The evidence is all there. You know who?
You know which players I'm talking about. You know
Host
Stephen A. Smith
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