Love him or hate him, Stephen A. Smith is one of the most prominent voices in sports media today. And just he shared a few touching stories of when he realized he had made it in the industry.
Smith was asked by NBA All-Star Paul George on his show “Podcast P” what he considers his “Mama, I made it” journalistic moment, and Smith referred to a couple of different stories in his career.
He first mentioned getting promoted from a writer to a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where he worked for nearly a decade and a half between the ‘90s and ‘00s.
DON’T MISS: Stephen A. Smith Gives Diplomatic Response to Joe Rogan’s Comments On January 6th
He then talked about getting hired by ESPN in 2003, his first of two stints. But it wasn’t just because he was able to work on the major sports network, but due to a story involving his late brother who passed away via a car accident in 1992.
Smith detailed that the last conversation he had with his brother before he passed was about his brother telling Smith that he would be “a star for ESPN.” Smith said that he couldn’t visit his brother’s gravesite until he was hired by ESPN which happened 11 years after his brother’s tragic accident.
More Stephen A. Smith:
- Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe’s twitter exchange hints at an exciting possibility
- Stephen A. Smith and Dan Le Batard just got a reality check
- Stephen A. Smith given grim outlook on ESPN amid recent layoffs
Smith detailed a second story, this time much later into his career involving NBA legend Allen Iverson. Smith had built a relationship covering Iverson as the NBA star’s peak coincided with Smith’s time with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
But according to Smith, the two had a bout late in Iverson’s career due to a story Smith had written.
“Somebody caught him partying when he was supposed to be somewhere else, and I had to write a story about, ‘You got to chill with the partying,’ and he was so angry,” Smith said. “He wouldn’t talk to me, and we had gone on damn near two years.”
When they finally confronted each other, Smith said that Iverson told him it wasn’t about the story, but that it was Smith who wrote it that hurt him.
“He said, ‘There's nobody in the industry that can hurt me but you,’” Smith said. “That was the first time I looked at him and I said, ‘The brother loves me, I love him too,’”
Smith said that moment changed him and made him realize he had arrived because he saw the impact his work had on people.
"There’s special moments that really, really crystallizes it for you when you arrived, and when he showed me that I had that kind of effect on him, then I started thinking about all the things I say and the kind of effect I could have,” Smith said.
Get exclusive access to portfolio managers and their proven investing strategies with Real Money Pro. Get started now.
