NBA on TNT's Kenny Smith is known for one of the most iconic calls in the history of All-Star Weekend. It was during the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest after Vince Carter's contest-clinching dunk when Smith exclaimed "It's over, ladies and gentlemen!" just as Carter was mouthing "It's over" to the camera.
The call lives as one of the resounding memories of fans of the All-Star festivities.
But just like the actual All-Star game, Smith seemed to hit a new low this year as he was calling this year's All-Star Saturday Night for TNT. Smith faced plenty of criticism for his thoughts while calling the three-point showdown between Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu.
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The showdown was the first time that the NBA All-Star game featured a direct challenge between an NBA and WNBA star, and the two hold the record for most points ever scored in each of their league's three-point contests.
However, there are two stark differences between the WNBA and NBA three-point contests.
The first is the size and dimensions of the basketball. An NBA ball is about 29.5 inches in circumference while weighing 22 ounces, while a WNBA ball is one inch smaller and two ounces lighter. This makes sense considering the biological differences in hand size of men and women.
The second is the distance of the three-point line, as the NBA's is about 1.7 inches further the WNBA line at the top of the key and three inches further from the corners. But Ionescu decided that she wanted to shoot from the same distance as Curry for their contest.
Ionescu ended up scoring 26 points in her battle with Curry, the same score that four male participants dropped to advance to the finals in the official shooting contest that took place right before. That was also the score Damian Lillard scored in the finals to win the entire competition.
Curry, widely regarded as the greatest shooter ever, dropped 29 points to edge Ionescu, in a contest that was celebrated by many as a huge success.
However, after Curry's win and despite Ionescu's impressive display, Smith started to argue that Ionescu should have also decided to shoot from the shorter WNBA three-point arc in order to make the competition fair.
"She should've shot from the women's line. That would've been a fair contest," Smith said.
Smith's comments immediately received push back from fellow commentator Reggie Miller, who is also regarded as one of the game's best shooters of all-time.
"Why are you putting boundaries on her?" Miller responded to Smith.
"It's not a boundary," Smith said. "There's a women's tee in golf and there's a men's tee for a reason."
Miller, whose sister, Cheryl, is also a legendary basketball player, continued to push back against Smith.
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"Good job, Sabrina," Miller said. "Don't let any man put boundaries on you like Kenny."
There was a lot of push back online for Smith after his comments, and he hopped on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on Monday to react to the push back by saying he was actually on Ionescu's side with his comments.
It seems Kenny Smith's point is that Ionescu shooting from the WNBA line would not be viewed as an edge for her and instead that both shooting from Curry's spot is an edge for him.
"It's much to do about nothing," Smith said. "Most people who know basketball understood what I was saying. Actually, I was advocating for her more than anything else because basketball is muscle memory. He practices from one range, she practices from the other ... You take so many shots from the exact same thing, so I'm like, 'Why is he getting the advantage?'"
Beyond the comments on the shooting, Smith also addressed the extra banter between him and Miller as the broadcast was going to commercial. Smith suggested that the NBA should bring more WNBA players back next season for bigger challenge between the two leagues, but Miller alluded to Smith's past comments again.
"Well according to you, you want her just playing with dolls," Miller said.
Kenny Smith closed the broadcast by saying that it's okay to play with dolls, calling out his daughters names in the process.
"You should play with dolls and you could do sports," Kenny Smith told Stephen A. Smith.
Overall, it seemed like Smith was doubling down on his comments on the show, but also presented the full reasoning behind his thoughts. It seems like he's coming from a pure place, but it's clear that the newness of the competition allows for many clashing thoughts.
One point by WNBA Hall-of-Famer Sue Bird following the backlash to Smith may be worth looking at. Bird said that a woman should be on the broadcast for this event — or for future events — to allow for more nuanced perspectives.
We needed a woman on the headsets, too. So much nuance & storytelling missed.
— Sue Bird (@S10Bird) February 18, 2024
26 is 26, tho 🔥 https://t.co/d04la1SWKJ
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