Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Celtics: Stephen A. Smith’s Jaylen Brown ‘Slander’ Blatantly Called Out by NBA Legend Isiah Thomas

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Paolo Songco | Last updated 5/27/24

Stephen A. Smith has taken a lot of backlash after stating that Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown is “not liked” around NBA circles and that he is “not as marketable as he should be.”

To be fair, Smith did say that this quote came from an anonymous source and that he does not necessarily agree with the sentiment. This has not prevented the naysayers from clapping back at the renowned ESPN anchor for his supposed slander against Brown.

This includes Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who has now called out Stephen A. for supposedly bad-mothing the Celtics star.

Boston Celtics News: Isiah Thomas, Stephen A. Smith Go Back and Forth

For starters, here’s a clip of the now-contentious statement from Smith:

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas get into a heated debate over an anonymous NBA source telling Stephen A. Smith that Jaylen Brown is not marketable.

[H/T X// @stephenasmith @IsiahThomas @ESPNNBA @FirstTake] pic.twitter.com/jWZslAznFr

— BASKETBALL ON (@BASKETBALLonX) May 26, 2024

Thomas, who is good friends with Brown, did not waste any time clapping back at Smith with a strongly-worded tweet:

I have been a friend, mentor and advisor to @FCHWPO since he was a student at UC Berkeley he is 100 percent marketable and before you slander his name @stephenasmith tell your source to put their name on it or don’t speak on it. Let it be known.

— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) May 26, 2024

Naturally, Stephen A. just had to respond. The polarizing analyst took exception to the fact that Thomas decided to attack him on X, formerly Twitter, instead of speaking with him directly:

I have no idea what you’re talking about @IsiahThomas. I have been a fan of Jaylen Brown for years. Still am. What’s unfortunate is that YOU — who’s known for me decades — would choose to go on X to expressed whatever dissent you feel instead of calling me directly. But I get it.… https://t.co/uq7yCyhneJ

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 26, 2024

Jaylen Brown Chimes In

The man of the hour, Jaylen Brown, then jumped in on what turned into a heated debate. The Celtics swingman demanded that Stephen A. reveal his so-called source:

State your source https://t.co/7ay3dXr6YN

— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) May 26, 2024

Smith responded again. He explained why there was no way he was going to reveal his source before heaping praise on the Boston superstar:

First off, that’s not happening. It’s journalism. Not revealing sources. Secondly, if you continue to watch the segment, I completely disagreed with them — as did Kendrick Perkins. The point we were actually discussing is how under appreciated you are and why that may be, which… https://t.co/WqJpc7OrOm

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 27, 2024

I guess this is the end of this mini-beef? Then again, I could be wrong.