Jay Williams Slams Stephen A. Smith After 'Asinine' Giannis Antetokounmpo Comment

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 5:00 PM ET

On June 13, during ESPN’s "First Take", Stephen A. Smith ignited controversy by branding Giannis Antetokounmpo an “underachiever” if he doesn’t secure another NBA championship.

Smith argued that, despite Giannis’s dominant play and 2021 title, having only one ring fails to match the superstar’s nightly brilliance. He suggested that talent without multiple titles “just doesn’t compute” in an era where legacy is defined by hardware.

Fellow ESPN analyst Jay Williams didn’t hold back when addressing Smith’s assessment on Monday's episode of "First Take".

“That was one of your worst takes I’ve heard in a long time, man," Williams said. "That was horrible. I, um, had to, you know, like I’m the little brother that’s sometimes filled with venom when you and I go at it—and it’s all love—but we really need to reframe these conversations."

"If you were to say that the franchise, the Milwaukee Bucks, have underachieved or the biggest underachievers with the talent of Giannis, fair," Williams continued.

"But a guy who has a 50-point closeout game, a guy who's never chased any of these dream team scenarios, a guy who is a finals MVP, a guy who's a multi-time all-star, all NBA, all everything, global face of the game...to call him an underachiever. I just think it's an asinine comment."

Antetokounmpo himself reacted to this take by posting Mo Mooncey's tweet on his Instagram story, slamming Smith.

Jay Williams tears into Stephen A. Smith for labeling Giannis Antetokounmpo an "underachiever."

"That was one of your worst takes I've heard in a long time, man. That was horrible... I think we really need to do a better job of reframing some of these conversations." pic.twitter.com/C3rM9JrqpB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 16, 2025

"There's no way in hell anybody who watches basketball, who knows the level of greatness that comes along with Giannis, would say that he's an underachiever," Williams added.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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