The Sports Talkers Podcast is here. The first show to join Media Noise on the BSM Podcast Network launched on Thursday with Doug Gottlieb as the featured guest.
During his conversation with host Stephen Strom, the FOX Sports Radio host took aim at the hosts of some of sports television’s most popular debate shows saying that the inclusion of current and recently retired NBA players on First Take has exposed Stephen A. Smith to some degree.
Gottlieb said in recent debates with Smith it has been clear that JJ Redick and CJ McCollum are “fuelded by an anger in the league of Stephen A. talking about things that aren’t actually reality.”
He listed ranking players and debating who is better between players from different eras as examples. Gottlieb also said that Smith has a history of demanding players should start based on their reputation despite what their stats say.
When someone with more extensive and more recent experience in the league pushes back, Gottlieb says Smith “isn’t equipped” to take part in a debate where he has to defend what he sees on game film.
“Skip and Stephen A, and Skip even moreso than Stephen A, but both of them are guys that didn’t play, that are just hot takers.”
For the record, Stephen A. Smith did play college basketball at the Division II level with the Winston-Salem State Rams.
This isn’t the first time that Skip Bayless has been in the crosshairs of Doug Gottlieb this year. In March, Gottlieb called Bayless’s behavior “disgraceful” after the FS1 host called Russell Westbrook names on an episode of Undisputed.
“That’s like rule number 1, right?” Gottlieb said in explaining his comments to Strom. “You just don’t call people names, and I thought it was kinda embarrassing to the profession when you do that.”
