Stephen A. Smith’s appearance at Madison Square Garden took an unexpected turn when the crowd booed him. The moment quickly became one of the most talked-about segments from the night’s event. The ESPN First Take host, known for his blunt commentary, faced boos from the MSG crowd before when he criticized Ben Simmons during the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Stephen A. Smith booed by crowd at MSG during Knicks podcast
Stephen A. Smith was booed by the crowd at Madison Square Garden on Friday, June 19, after making a surprise appearance on The Roommates Show. The ESPN analyst joined New York Knicks guards Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart for a live podcast taping.
The episode was recorded at the Infosys Theater inside Madison Square Garden and aired live on ESPN. It premiered less than a day after two million fans lined Lower Manhattan for the Knicks’ parade celebrating the franchise’s first title since 1973.
Boos echoed through the arena as Smith made his way onstage. “Are they saying ‘Deuce?'” Hart joked as Smith settled into his chair and forced a smile.
They don’t know that boos are cheers,” the 58-year-old said. “Boos are cheers.” The crowd wasn’t convinced, though. After all, Stephen A. Smith spent years criticizing Brunson and the Villanova group that brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to New York.
On Friday, Brunson and Hart brought those old comments back up and made Stephen A. Smith address them. “We are now sitting here with this golden trophy there to your right. Can you sit here and admit you were wrong?” Hart asked.
Smith, in his response, said, “I’m a grown-ass man. I was beyond wrong. I’m apologizing to this brother on national television. I’m apologizing to you, I’m apologizing to the entire Knicks organization.”
“Let me be very, very clear: I have never been more happy to be wrong in my life,” he added. However, Stephen A. Smith said that he’d make the same mistake twice if it brought the Knicks another championship.
