The beef between Celtics star Jaylen Brown and ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith reached a new level to start this week, as Smith appeared to warn Brown about being able to dig into stories that the athlete may not like.
“Jaylen Brown, be careful what you wish for. You really want me to start reporting on that level? You understand? Locker room, how the organization might feel about you, how the city may feel about you, how Jayson Tatum may or may not feel about you? Sneaker deals, endorsement deals, the list goes on and on. The season is over, bro. You on Twitch, trying to do what I do, and talking about me needing to step away. It makes no sense. I’m not being disrespectful,” Smith said on ‘First Take’ Monday morning.
The feud really began in 2024, when Smith spent a ‘First Take’ segment exploring whether Brown’s ego has affected his marketability.
It heated up again immediately following the Celtics’ first-round exit from the 2026 playoffs, when Smith criticized Brown for calling it his favorite season and suggested he stop livestreaming from his home on Twitch.
“I made news years ago, and I said it’s not fair to him, but because he is smart, because he doesn’t suffer fools, because he will speak his mind, etc., it’s alienating some people on Madison Avenue. Which is why he doesn’t necessarily have a sneaker deal, and he doesn’t get the advertising dollars, and he doesn’t have the marketing muscle of say, somebody like his teammate Jayson Tatum,” Smith said, during his seven-minute monologue Monday.
Brown posted a social media message encouraging Smith to retire weeks back, and doubled down on that take on a recent livestream, which prompted Smith’s response.
“[Expletive] Stephen A. Stephen B, Stephen C. My offer still stands: you want me to be quiet, and stop streaming, well, I want you to be quiet and get off these networks. Because you’re not using your platform to do real journalism. You’re using your platform to do clickbait,” he said.
Smith began covering the NBA in the early 1990s for the New York Daily News before moving into a writer and columnist role for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He jumped into broadcasting in 2005.
