Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Electric 1990s All-Star Latest To Bash Stephen A. Smith For Memphis Comments

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 9:50 AM ET

In college, former NBA point guard Nick Van Exel had many big games in the city of Memphis. He starred at the University of Cincinnati in the early 1990s. One of the Bearcats' biggest rivals was Memphis. He and Penny Hardaway battled for a few seasons in the famed Great Midwest Conference.

Van Exel outshined Hardaway in the Elite Eight in 1992, pushing the Bearcats into a matchup with Michigan's Fab Five in the Final Four in Minneapolis. So, naturally, Van Exel had something to say about ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith saying there is a safety issue in the city of Memphis.

Here's what Van Exel posted on X: "Can't even lie. Memphis has been great to me since the 90's and I was enemy #1."

Can’t even lie. Memphis has been great to me since the 90’s and I was enemy #1. .
— Nick Van Exel (@vanexel31) June 21, 2025

Smith started the firestorm last week during an ESPN segment. He said players were reluctant to play for the Grizzlies for safety reasons because of the high crime rate.

"The people in Memphis," Smith said. "It's a great sports town. Great fans. Great people. But there's an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don't feel it's the safest environment. I'm talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You got to clean some of that stuff up because it's dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know. They've told me."

Former Miami Heat guard Norris Cole agreed with Smith.

"He told the truth," Cole said on the Gilbert Arenas podcast. "I mean, Memphis is cool for certain people but for others it ain't.

Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane sided with Van Exel. Bane played for the Grizzlies before the recent trade.

"I think all that is just false," Bane said on The Young Man And The Three podcast. "I think once you get to Memphis and you learn Memphis and you know Memphis, there's a lot of love in that city. Yeah, it's got its rough parts but that's how every city is. Memphis is a beautiful place. They've got a great organization. Anybody that goes there will be happy with what they got going on for sure."

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This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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