Stephen A. Smith is having, as he would call it, a very bad day. First, the popular ESPN personality sparked outrage with his insensitive comments about Shohei Ohtani (Smith ridiculed the Japanese slugger for needing a translator), only to bungle his “apology” hours later. Smith didn’t help himself with his condescending and tone-deaf remarks about Nigeria’s Olympic hoops team, who upset the United States over the weekend.
“There’s no excuse to lose to Nigeria,” opined Smith. “Some dude Gabe Nnamdi who goes by ‘Gabe Vincent’ for the Miami Heat. Or Caleb Agada. Or [Ike] Nwamu, or however the hell you pronounce his name.”
Nigeria basketball’s official Twitter account didn’t appreciate Smith’s “disrespect,” shaming the longtime First Take host for mocking Nigeria’s names and culture without providing any actual analysis.
Smith is correct in saying the United States, who have taken basketball gold in each of the last three Olympics, probably shouldn’t have lost to Nigeria, even in a low-stakes exhibition setting after only a week of practice. But that’s no excuse to dismiss or insult Nigeria, who are coached by Warriors assistant Mike Brown. And while the Nigerian team is largely made up of fringe NBA types and former college stars like the aforementioned Vincent (who split this past season between the Heat and their G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce), they certainly came ready to play Saturday, both out-hustling and out-shooting a United States roster comprised of perennial All-Stars such as Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal and Draymond Green.
After eating a slice of humble pie Saturday, the US will look for better results when they return to the hardwood for Monday night’s exhibition against Australia at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
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