DOUBLE COVERAGE PODCAST - Stephen A Smith’s Nephew Josh Declares Steph As The GOAT and Guarantees A Knicks Ring

Episode Date: April 18, 2026

Stephen A. Smith’s nephew Josh Smith joins Zach on Double Coverage Episode 17 and delivers one of the wildest episodes yet. From declaring Steph Curry the GOAT to guaranteeing a New York Knicks championship run, Josh doesn’t hold back. The episode dives into GOAT debates between Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Steph Curry, plus arguments about Nikola Jokic as the best player in the league today. Josh also shares what it was like growing up around Stephen A. Smith, gives his take on Jalen Brunson vs Carmelo Anthony, and breaks down the current NBA playoff landscape. If you’re into NBA hot takes, basketball debates, Knicks playoff talk, and unfiltered sports conversations, this episode is packed. Subscribe to Double Coverage for more interviews, debates, and viral sports content. ⸻ Timestamps: 0:00 Intro & Josh Smith joins 1:07 Knicks playoff expectations & championship confidence 2:20 Growing up with Stephen A. Smith 5:08 83-point game debate (Bam vs Kobe context) 8:09 Jalen Brunson vs Carmelo Anthony 9:39 Steph Curry GOAT argument 11:16 Michael Jordan vs LeBron vs Steph debate 17:03 JJ Redick, Lakers coaching & NBA politics 22:35 Jokic vs all-time greats (best player today?) 41:02 KD Warriors vs best teams ever & Finals picks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I got Steph ahead of Mike. I'm taking, I'm dying on that. Mike who? How many mics is it? How many mics are your top of? In my top five? There's only one mic. Okay.

It can't be him. So there must be another mic I didn't know about. Listen, man, I got Steph as the goat. What's up guys? Mistig Zach here. Welcome back to double coverage. Episode 17. Today I am joined by Josh Smith

What's going on, bro The people at home Give your background What you got going on Who you are Well, King in New York Trying to be at least You know, King in New York

I'm down here in Miami This is like my second home Summertime You know what I'm saying I didn't see you last summer Or if I did I didn't know about this show I was outside

But the show wasn't around But I was outside All right well I heard some good things about the show And that's it I'm here I had to stop by before I left Yeah facts

Always good You know, Miami living with the UFC this weekend. Our season ended. I was just going to say you said UFC? Yeah, UFC Saturday. You're still basketball season where I'm from. Yeah. No, the UFC was better.

If you were in Miami, you had a better weekend watching the UFC than the basketball. Yeah, I mean, I feel like y'all championship was that 83 point game. Yeah. That's enough. I felt good about that. You got your little, bam jersey on cool. That'll get me over. Have fun with it.

Yeah. Have fun with it. If you want to come up during a parade in June, just hit me. Now we friends, you could tap in. No, dope. You're going to be in Oklahoma. I'm sorry? What?

Now, that's the wrong orange and blue team. That's the wrong orange and blue team. They blew is a little funny. It's a little funny. What makes the Knicks viable contenders going to this postseason? Because a lot of people are doubting them. You see they're behind the calves and the odds even. Well, we're the most complete team.

That's not just a biased thing, I feel like. And last year we overachieve. So we got one more year. of overachieving. So we overachieve again. Now we're in the finals. You know, and I feel like, you know, if Indiana could take OKC to 7, we would have beat them.

Why do you think people are doubting the Knicks this postseason? Because the calves ahead of them was kind of crazy because you guys beat the Celtics last year. You know what I'm saying? I mean, it's the fun thing to do to doubt the Knicks. Like, we got fans like me and then Oklahoma. Like, what fans they got that you know of? I don't know what.

Exactly. What fans do, Indiana? Nobody. That's what I'm saying. So it's cool to just be like, oh, Nick's going to lose. I'd be walking through the streets, airports. Nick's suck. Wow. Where are you from?

And, you know, I learned that it's like a running joke that Stephen A. started. Yeah, your uncle. Yeah. That's where I think a lot of people have seen. That's where I had seen you. But you're coming up with your own show. Yeah. But talk to me about growing up with your uncle.

Um, you know, it was almost like having an NBA dad. So I'm a kid of it. I was born in the 80s, so that's when guys used to just have kids and just going with their life. And then the mother and her family raised the kids, so that was Stephen A, my mother, raising me. And he's something else. Y'all see y'all get the corporate TV version of him, and I get the House Queens

raising the house type stuff. So when you see us interacting, it all makes sense when you learn our dynamic. Yeah, but are you guys like debating about sports at home? No. It's never sports because we like the same teams. We mad at the same things and stuff like that. We debate about like my behavior or things he may say that I don't agree with it on TV and stuff like that. That's what we debate about.

Everything where people are like coming down on him, he ignores them because me and him already had the argument right away. As soon as he comes over for his take, I'm texting him. What's your day to day like? Are you helping him with his stuff, keeping him current? Yeah, well, I got two kids in my own. My son is 13. He's on his way on some media stuff too. So I kind of wanted to do like a, you know how they used to come straight out of high school to play the NBA.

I want him to do straight out of junior high with media. Like you're going to be a ninth grade covering high school sports. And he's going to do it in a big way because he comes from, you know, we got all these resources and stuff. You're going to use it. I'm going to bring him here in the summertime. I did the same thing. I had my first sports show when I was 14. Yeah, see that?

Yeah, yeah. I bring him here so you could tell him that. Sometimes he needs to hear those stories. No, you got to start because you watch your progression through the years. Exactly. I started social media when I was 17. Then he already has the doors through his family, but you got to make your own doors sometimes. All right.

So what made you do this podcast? Oh, man, I was doing different shows throughout the years. My first show was Jada Kiss. Kissing the Miss on World Star. From there, I did a show of Pac-Man, Pac-N-Zack a couple of years. And then I decided I want to kind of branch out, do my own thing, tap into all the things that I thought I'd been missing previously

and start my own shit independent, you know? Yeah, yeah, no, it's working out for you. Yeah, I like this whole thing right here. I like it all. Yeah, I appreciate that. Hey, what's the next point? What's the next point? Because we're going to follow your blueprint?

Are we going to follow the blueprint? Well, I'm just trying to go all basketball. You didn't want to go down the UFC route at all, so it seems like the basketball rabbit hole is where we're at. Yeah, that's where we're at. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you were kind of dismissive of a BAM's 83 points, I felt like. No, no, no.

I ain't going to do that because I know that it's hard to score. I will never not 83 points. But the way he got it, when I see Ben, but I've seen, I've spent last summer in Miami and I'm coming up in this thing. So me and him, we got a little bit acquainted. I want to know what's being told to the team when he was chasing the record. Because when you're fouling on purpose, that makes it a little ingenuous. Like I remember Kobe's 81.

And it's a lot when they say he needed every point because the Lakers was up 16 when he was chasing 82. So it's not like Kobe's whole thing was like, oh, we need every basket. But Bam and them was like when you're trying to stop the clock in order for him to run it up, that made it a little. No, I saw a guy be like, God, they needed all those points. Like that's what I'm like, that's not true at all. Yeah, no, definitely not true. Come on.

They played a game every January 22nd. Now, what I would say if I was Bam or a fan of Bam, I don't care how you got the points. every whatever date it was March whatever you better run that game back the same way they do Kobe yeah no but better what do you mean better more points no I don't do that

see we ain't gonna do that you see you seen the kid shoot the thing he goes bam yeah don't do that see you know what I'm saying don't get out of control like that with this Miami stuff it is funny though like no it is good but some people were too

just like hating OD yeah like go score 83 at like a shoot around matter of fact like do it it with like, you know, high schoolers or anything, like wheelchair kids. Like, it's tough to score 83 points. So, you know, the thing about the 83 point game, right? Like I just said, they play Kobe's every year annually.

Do you think you'd be able to watch Bams 83 again? No, I don't think anyone. You wouldn't because you don't want to see 45 free throws being shot. Yeah, and the Wizards, that was bad. And it's the Wizards. There you go. So it's not that I'm on BAM's performance. The Wizards kind of ruined it.

Huh? The Wizards were not helping. And they were like fouling and making it ugly. Right. It almost looked like we want to be part of this record too. Fow them. Yeah, that was not ideal. They couldn't triple team.

That was bad. You know what? We're talking a little bit too much about the eliminated. What's talking about the Knicks? The soon to be eliminated. So a lot of people are doubting them against the Hawks even. You've seen the ESPN like picks. They're all like Knicks and Seven, Nixon Seven.

Why is it seven? And that's a disrespect, too. I can't wait until they stop being scared and let me on like, you know, these real broadcast channels and stuff like that the podcasting is cool but I need to be with Kendrick Perkins and them.

They'd be wrong three times a morning. Yeah, I could do that. Pay me. So I'm picking New York now. Like I picked them last year against the Celtics. After game two, we go up too O in Boston. Oh, Nick's looking, oh, now we look. Y'all are professionals.

Why, y' y'all can't see it ahead. So that's why I'm not. I'm here. Who's a better New York, Nick? I had this argument in the barbershop, and I want to get your take. Carmelo Anthony or Jalen Brunson? Jalen Brunson's the most successful, Nick.

He ain't better than Mello. He ain't better than Mello. You'll never get me to say that. And I call him Michael Jalen Brunson because he'll average 26, 27 during the year, and then the players go up to 32, 33. So it was like, you turn it up when it matter, but I still can't put you above mellow you know why the Knicks is they're a corny bunch

that's my team I can say it I watch them they're a corny bunch like they're not they're not somebody you want to hang out with outside of you only want to watch the game and I'm kind of cool with that because we stay out of trouble we don't get technical foul some might mistake us for being the P word too but we got Jose Alvarado now I like we you know add that little bit of toughness and we're gonna see we're gonna see how we rocked out this year now Brunson's got like that halo effect in the playoffs where he's different for sure. Balls in his hand late

at 5 foot 11. He's different. He really is. Don't make him shorter than he is. He's 6'1. Is he 6'1? Is that with like the boosters? So when people ask me how tall I am, right,

I tell him I'm a tall 6 foot but I'm a short 6-1 so I'm on the shortest side of 6-1 but if I'm 6 foot, I'm a tall 6 foot. So Brunson is about my height. Is he? He seems so short on the court. It's hard on the court because the guys are so tall. I'm saying like, Steph looks like so short and he's six three. So it's more amazing.

Yeah, D. Wade looks so short. He would block everyone. So that's why, and if we, you know, we're on the basketball topic, this is going to shape things up in the summer. I got Steph that had a mic and I don't care who don't like it or nothing. I'm taking, I'm dying on that. Mike who? How many mics is it? There's a, how many mics? It can't be the mic. How many mics are your top of? In my top five? There's only one mic.

It can't be him, so there must be another mic I didn't know about. Listen, man, I got Steph as the goat, and I go off of, like, how you look. Like, Steph looks like a mailman. He could be your gym teacher. Whoever else you would have as the goat, it would be like, you're too tall to be doing this. Or why aren't you in the NBA? Steph is a regular looking person. He could be in this room, engineering this.

podcast and you wouldn't think, you bet you should be in the NBA. Yeah, he's the only guy under 6-6 and like the top 15 ever. He is. 15. See? Right? I'm saying. Yeah. So the way you got that, according to you, his

feats are greater than somebody who has physical advantages, right? Yeah, I guess he's certainly over-accomplished, but his dad was in the NBA too, but. So what number do you have him at? Steph, I really have him so much higher than everyone else, but you're making me look like I'm a hater. How much higher?

I have at three. Oh, three, all time? Yeah. I respect it. Which is so much higher than most people. I respect it. I respect. So who's above him?

Mike and MJ. Brown and Mike? Yeah. He's third. Yeah. He could be second, I think, if you want a fifth. All right. Make his way up.

So. But he's definitely the greatest offensive player ever. So you're a rings guy. So why's Mike first? Mike is first. Why? Why? I think he was the best player in the league for 12 years.

How do you? 24. So you're going on off of what they told you. I watch. All right, so then you need to be listening to me then. Because what they're not telling you, what they show you on highlights is only the good stuff. And Michael Jordan's first five, six years, he was getting manhandled. They didn't tell you that?

But he was performing. I mean, he's like. Oh, that matters? He scored 62 against Larry Bird in the Celtics. They lost. So someone would call that Michael Jordan. best playoff performance. Right up there.

You got that. Now, would you choose that game or would you choose LeBron's 25 straight against number one ranked Detroit defense? And winning, because when Mike had 63, he lost that game and got swept that series. Yeah. Right.

Since when do we glorify somebody that got swept and losing... I'm not even talking about it. I'm not even talking about you. I'm just saying, in the realm of basketball, they always show that game when he dribbling to the leg three times on Larry Bird.

lost that game got swept that series they don't never do that with nobody of today we're praising somebody in the midst of getting swept and losing that's black Jesus it's Mike that's what I'm saying we got to let go that's why we all wear the shoes there's someone in the rooms got the shoes on it just that's Mike we're talking about impact and like that's Mike yo Steph I don't think step ever got sweat not that I remember question I know he didn't he we don't get swept that's what I said you got to be good enough to win at least one game. Win me one game.

And maybe that 63 point game was supposed to be it. But he lost. You lose. Got sweat. He won a lot, though. He won a lot. I'm saying once he figured it out, he figured out how to beat Jeff Horn a second hour. Yeah, because that's what it's about too.

I'm about who you playing. Charles Barkley and Calm Alone. Who's on their team? John Stockton. Your matchup. Like, I'm talking about your matchup. Everybody you just named. At the two.

At the two. When they played the sons. You said Barclay. Barclay was on the team, but the two was like Dan Molly. Yeah, yeah. And I'm not disrespecting Dan Marley, but if you Michael Jordan, that's easy, right? It does sound funny. Come on, man.

Like, Steph got played Westbrook. Yeah. Dame Lillet. It's Hall of Fame after Hall of Fame, and we keep going through the Kyrie. Keep... Well, Steph also gets fouled more than anyone else and doesn't get calls. Tell them again. So you just add into my...

No, if you really watch Ball, Steph has the worst whistle ever. Would you agree with that? I agree with that. His whistle is horrible. Terrible. The refs don't like him. He's like too flashy for them. I don't think it's that.

It's just that he's so. They probably want to see him go through with the play. I'm like, no, go ahead. Just hit the three. We need to go, we need to go call the foul for you. Just go ahead. Finish the play. You're too good to be getting help.

And that's it. Here we are, four chips. If he could get one more, like you said, that would mean that the warrior is revamped. And he won with like a third ever team. So it's like he'd do that. Like you say, he, he, he'd do that. He's definitely, he's the goat to me anyway, but that's a little bit of bias in it, I feel like. No, no doubt.

If you don't have him, like, up there, up there, then I don't, you're not watching the same sport. Yeah, what do you got to do? What you got to do to get up there if you don't have him up there now? No, some dudes, like, don't have him top ten. I'm like, what else do you have to do to get top ten? Exactly. Yeah, you're not really watching him. So you guys the best point guard of him?

Yeah. Over magic? Yeah. All right, cool. Well, magic didn't know who knows, but he did, unfortunately, so. Hey, man, I'm here for the, I'm here for the shift. Yeah. It's like if somebody's better with my eyes, I'm saying it.

Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm not with the whole. You got to respect everything because when we all get old, then we're just a respect for the step and our era. You're going to start it now. I got stuff as to go. Spurs, Thunder Nuggets, who you got coming out of the West?

That's a tough one. If everybody's healthy, the spurs. And you know why? Because it's nothing like having like two point guards you could trust. They got a rookie point guard that you could really trust, And I know Deering Fox, that might be, he's going to be looking for a team next year because Harper ready. Yeah.

He's out of there. Yeah. You know what, though? Like, every time you sit down and pick the NBA playoffs, you get egg on your face because one guy gets hurt and then you look stupid, but like it can be the eighth man. It can make all the difference in the world. Yeah. Yeah.

Because it can be a three and deal off the bench who changes the series. Yeah, because it's about, you know, the playoffs is when they're preparing to stop your star, Them other players got, like you just say, be the eighth guy off the bench or eight, a got on a rotation, third guy off the bench that'll come in and win you a whole playoff game. You only need four in the series. So, yeah, all of that matter. And I say that to say, the Lakers Mike is sweat because Luke is out. No, yeah, one of them was like Knicks and seven. Then they were like, Rockets in six.

I'm like, Rockets in six. How the hell the Lakers going to win two games? Yeah, I don't see it. How is that possible? I don't see it. And I don't, it's not that the Rockets got such an outstanding, like, line up, but Udo can make them tough. Yeah. So I don't see them like not playing tough.

If you're going to lose to the Lakers, it's because you're going to let them, like, pretty much let them win. I don't see the Rockets giving away a series with them as a coach. Sweet? Yeah. I'm going to give bro on one game. Just one. I know he 41. I think adrenaline alone, your son on the bench.

It's L.A. Come on. Aiton can't catch the ball. It's rough over there. I ain't doing that. And since we're on the Lakers, you brought them up. J.J. Reddick, how he get that job in the first place? The podcasting.

Just podcasting, right? Yeah, I might be next. All right, so I'm just about to say, all right, so I might be next. Who are you going to coach? I might take over for JJ after they get swept. All right, so you take over for JJ. I'll take over for Mike Brown.

We both look like them anyway. Yeah. Yeah. Let's get them out of here. Yeah. Makes sense. then they replaced Redick with Nash. Steve Nash?

Yeah, now he does the podcast instead of Reddick. Oh, with the podcast. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know, like I said, with the coaching, they're so selective. It's just like sometimes it's a random point guard that just finished playing and never coach a day in their life. Yeah. Or is JJ Reddick, fresh or first tape. Now you're coaching the Lakers of LeBron and them.

It's like everything is relationships. Doc Rivers still gets jobs. Doc Rivers still gets jobs. I can't wait to see where he's going to be. at next year and I did and I did someone how we got that I mean they fired bud after they won the chip they did yo yo you won the chip Mike mooreen too oh he bought himself another year like what what does that mean first the first Milwaukee shit since the 60s and then um Mike Malone wins the first chip in Denver history and then they fired him a year and a half later

so it's like that's almost crazy I don't know we ain't went nothing in New York since the 70s these coaches be last in seven, eight years. Yeah. Tibido, what did you think about the Tibido? What I think about Tibido. Yeah. Oh, I had called for his fire run last year while we was up in the series, three one. Because I know what he's going to do.

You're going to tie it, die out, die out our players. Yeah. And by the time you get to the third series, we lose to that team that we really better than, like, Indiana. I'm still pissed off. Like I say, Indiana took Shay and under seven. Hallie Burton don't get hurt in the first quarter. we might be talking about the Indiana Paces as the champions. Yep. That would have pissed me off.

That would have pissed me off. And now they have the number one pick. Now they have what? Now they might have the number one pick. Oh, yeah. From the highs, the highs, the lows, the lows. That's why we got to win this year before other teams start fixing themselves. Oh, yeah. You have to.

You have to. I don't know. The questions I have about the Knicks is just the defense. Brunson and Kat. It's a weird duo because neither of them really defense. Yeah, you got to build around that. You said none of them defend, but you know Bridges, that's what you're out there for. OG, that's what you out there for. And Josh Hart, that's what you out there for. We got Mitchie Robertson off the bench, who I think should start because what they do with

Mitchell Robinson is foul him on purpose because he comes into the game when we are ready in a penalty. So I'm like, if you foul him on purpose, start him so that they could get us into the penalty, then we sit his ass down and that rest of us can shoot. But the coaches don't be coaching. That's why they need to hire me. Reddick could do it Who?

If JJ could do it Coming off the couch You know I said it JJ I was coaching my son's team You know They was in sixth grade

It ain't crazy But we went undefeated And won the shit JJ Redick never coached Nothing because I was with him At ESPN You coaching? No, you're not coaching

You're just talking At what point are you coaching You had no time Nothing You just got up You was You was doing ESPN And like you brought up

He was doing the what podcast with LeBron so when can you have coached you just throw him the Lakers job and 2K the biggest job in the NBA basically the Lakers LeBron all of that showtime showtime yeah I don't think he can get another job either so I don't think LeBron can pull rank like that ever again he's yeah I don't yeah I think them days is over I think it's over yeah but we might be wrong if they pick in the Lakers to do something in his playoffs Brown might be able to still pull some strings next year. If Bronn gets past the Rockets by himself,

he's the undisputed goat of all sports. He's literally by himself. All sports? If he can beat the Rockets without Reeves or Luca, he's got no support. And he's not a podcaster coaching him. All right. So to me, he'll move up.

You're right. That might be his greatest accomplishment. If he beat the Lagas, he does move up. He does move up. He's got nothing. I mean. Rue Hachamora. So that means, so what do you say about KD if they lose like that?

Oh, that would be rough. That's rough. That's rough. You gotta go down. So you got all the pressure on KD right now? A lot of pressure, yeah. Damn, I just be, y'all be putting a lot on these people with all these mileage on them. Kevin Durrish, season 19.

No, and he came back from the torn Achilles and all that. Right. He's averaging 27. I mean, you know what, though? You can't be losing a Jared Vanderbilt. No, see. You're right. You're right.

I'm not like, we ain't going to really let him off the hook for that. I seen him curse out, he, he commented on Kendrick Perkins' page. He was like, what are you in that field rapper on that podcast going to do if I lose? So he might see this and be like, yeah, watch out my mouth. What y'all going to do if I don't beat the league is like? That's a bad mindset. Think about what we're going to say if you win, you know? Right.

I mean. Like, well, what would happen if you won the chip somehow? Like, think about that. Yeah, did he not even think about that. He's not. No, he's on Twitter. They already, they're ready. Most the bottom teams in the West kind of know.

I want the one person that's different, and this is why this is my favorite player, is Aunt Edwards. He ain't going to ever be like, well, let's pack it in, guys, you're playing OKC. Nah, he's going to lace up his boots. Can they upset Denver? Yeah, it wouldn't even be upset. It's like, that's a pick him.

Like, you picking Aunt Edwards or you picking Yokage. Yeah. But Denver's nice this year. They got. It seems like they put it. together. They got healthy at the right time. Aaron Gordon came back.

You got Jamar Murray in his groove, and Yolkich is just, you know, he don't miss when it comes to basketball. I can't figure him out. You don't jump high. You're not fast, you're not quick, but you're the best playing the league. I don't get it. You know, his touch. He's got the greatest touch I've ever seen.

So, where you got him ranked in, uh, sentence? Just centers, like. Ooh. You're 24, so you answer, you know. I guess he's five. Five. So you got four cents better than him? Yeah.

Go ahead. Let me see you. Kareem, Hakeem, Bill Russell, Will. You said Bill Russell? Yeah. You can't be 24. You was born in after 2000? He's a millennium baby.

He was, what, 17 and 0 in elimination? I mean, he's... You like numbers? I like numbers. So, you know, Bill Russell... Yolkis doesn't defend. Bill Russell is a sinner, right? Yeah, he average 17 a game.

44% from the field What he shot? 44% from the field How? That's crazy That is crazy His offensive game is bad So you're gonna hear

Say and hear You're gonna do all that And say he's a better player But the greatest defender Rebounder I saw him jump over a guy You ever see that video Jumped over the dude

His feet were over his head So he should have been in the hard jumping We talk about basketball He was a legit athlete Yokich Leads the league And assistant rebounds this year Yeah he's nuts

That's the crazy I'm not I'm not going to die in that hill. I'm not going to die on that hill. You can put yokech at your head of them. Start it over. Your top five centers. Where you got yogis?

We not. We can put him at four. We can put him a four. So you put in already. Definitely Kareem and Akeem. You can't be. Kareem, yes. I understand Dream, which you didn't see because he retired before you was even born.

Dream's like the most underrated though, I think, at all of them. Dream might be the greatest center ever, you know. Oh, Shaq. shack i like all everybody's saying but when what i go off of best i separate best and greatest greatest is like your resume you were winning all right cool which is circumstantial cord and your teammates and stuff like yeah yeah best is like could you score from every spot on the floor if if the lakers with chikil o'neil on a team was down three with four seconds he's not even on the floor.

Yokic, if your team down three, he's taking the shot. Yeah. So it's like, well, I'm going with... Shack wasn't down three a lot, you know. He what? He's got five of these. Got Kobe, though. But he won MVP in all three. Picture Yokish getting a Kobe level player.

Picture Yokin's getting Aunt Edwards right now. Right now. In Edwards, that was Kobe. Yeah. Shack had that. Most dominant player ever. He what? Would you say this to Shack? You said what I say what?

Would you say this to Shaq? They all watch me. Shack, no. Like, I love Shaq. That's my favorite person at Center. Yeah, yeah. But when we're ranking basketball, I'm not going to waver according to relationships. I got Yoke's number one.

I told you, if I see it, I say it. Ahead of Hakeem. One. Nothing's ahead of one. So your top five is like all current players? Like you're starting five? Is it all current guys? No.

If I did the top five Like a starting line up Jordan would be my two Okay But everybody You don't have James Hardin or something What are you giving me the thought for See look

And that's how you know Rings is really Because if we talk about what were you watching I told my uncle this the other day Had him Pull out the little hair he had left I said If Michael Jordan

Play Bones Holland 1V1 I got bones He like Blastomous That is blasphemous When you say it But when you think about it

1V1 Mike Gordon Have you ever Like if I ask Michael Jordan His triple package is crazy That's 1V1 How you gonna stop it? Michael Jordan never even seen that Now give me a two

But MG's hands are like Okay And them same hands He's gonna be reaching for something that ain't there It's reaching for something that ain't there First of all you're in Miami So you know Bones Highland's hit all last summer.

I got a different respect for him. I've seen it in person. Up close, like I'm at the broadcast table, and he doing stuff like this. I can't even see the ball, and he did the craziest layup I ever seen it in my life, including everybody. 1V1, you got Mike.

Is he beating Kyrie? That's a good one. But I don't think Mike, Mike is beating Kyrie because Kyrie is not 6'6. Bones Holland, you have no real advantage on him. Maybe you stronger. But when it's his turn on offense, I'm sorry.

Like, I don't think nobody's stopping him one if you want. I knew when your uncle argued about sports. Hey, what I'm saying? I'm about to kill the sports talk to. Y'all here, I see everybody in the room is like engaged or what I'm saying. This is how it's supposed to be. When you're watching people talk sports and he's like, let me check my phone or something like that.

It's just like that's not it. And people like constantly disrespect top analysts. Like the Stephen A's, the even this guy says crazy shit, but he's entertaining Skip. All these guys, like, you don't get it until you're in the chair. And then you have that respect. Right. Yeah, you got to make. Because Skip said the funniest shot I've ever heard in my life.

What you say? When he said, talking about if MJ and LeBron played today, and he goes, MJ would win if I trained him. If I trained him. Skip, yeah, Skip is. He averaged one point a game. Skip is unbelievable. I'm not going to lie.

He did say, this is when I was like, you know what? I'm not listening to nothing. He says. And it was kind of early in the first hey day. after LeBron went at first chip on Miami and the deciding game against OKC probably like 35, 10 to 8 regular LeBron stuff back then Skip comes out and was complaining

about certain things that he saw in that closeout game Yeah I'm looking at him like yo no you cannot hate on this man the day he the day after he wins the chip and is the reason like that's what I'm just like everything is like who you like and who you don't No, he's the peak LeBron Hater.

He said Brani had more of a clutching than LeBron. I'm not allowed to talk about Brony. He was boosting up Brani to hate on LeBron. This guy's different. Like, hating Olympics. He's gold. Yo, man, when the media, when somebody, not even, I'm not going to put that on everybody. But Skip is one of them people.

Like, if I'm not for you, like, you're going to know it. And everybody, you're going to know it. And me judging the. sports and all that, yeah, he's good, but after the butt, he goes, he goes crazy. Paco Mayweather, he said Paco should have won. He's nuts. Yeah. I don't know where, or when he was, probably my player's better than Steph. Bill Walton. What? He said Bill Walton's better than Seth. When he said that? Um, with Shannon Sharp. I don't know. Okay, so that must have been before. Post-unk. Ring four, but even, come on you, Bill

Warren. And that's what I'm saying. They need to revent. I don't even like that they added 25 to the top 50. Now it's top 75. No. That list was whack, though. No Dwight. Which list? The top 75. You said it was what? No Dwight Howard. So you got to, this is what I'm saying. The way you got Bill Russell, not to say

he's not in top 50, because that'd be crazy. Yeah. But the people of that era, like, you could like... Yeah, like Dave the Butcher or something. You know the names. You know the names. You're just like, what? Who? And then you go to the stats. It's just like, oh, another play on the Celtics. Like, how many players from one era on one team are y'all going to let in a whole thing?

Yeah. And that's just where I'm at with it. How many do they have? We'd have to check that out. Yeah, you're going to have to check that. They might have a full. The Celtic, that Bill Russell era Celtic team, Nate Archibald. It was like eight Celtics.

And I might even be mixing errors, but it was just so much. The coach, too. All the green jackets. I remember I watched it on YouTube again. And I'm like, look at all these Celtic jackets. You're not going to tell me. y'all was so great. Y'all the only team that was winning,

it had to be five, six teams in the NBA, the way the disparity with the championships was back then. Who do you think the Knicks meet in the conference finals? Who else is contending in the East? You know what? The Hornets. You've got to be up close in person to look at the Hornets last night.

There's something about them this year that's like, I got them having a special run. So they still got a game to win. So you win that game and you play Detroit, which is the series everybody wanted to see. That was the big fight. They two teams that clearly don't like each other, they just played last week and they didn't shake hands at the end. It's like, all right, let's get it on.

Let's see who wins the series because I got Charlotte being like a high-powered offense against a strong defense. That can go either way, especially when you got a lamello ball-type player, shoot off one leg and do stuff you can't really prepare for if he's on. Kobe White. Kobe White off the bench. That was a big pickup. And what I compared to that Kobe White pickup in the West is Ayo going to Minnesota because that gives them that guard that they didn't have that could run with in. When you had Mike Connolly, like, when are they going to let this go?

And I'm not saying cut him or whatever. But somebody else should be playing. He should be coaching. Mike Connolly came in when Greg Oden came in. Come on, son. That's over. Yeah. Greg Oden was like,

my grandfather right now. I'm like Mike Hong you came in that same draft. No. I saw a clip the other day with someone defending someone and I did like a triple take. Do you know what I'm about to say? What? Tage Gibson. Tadj Gibson.

Is in the league right now. What's he me on? The jazz? Who? The jazz? Is that who it was? The jazz. Tosh Gibson is in the league. He's 40. I saw him though. I saw him in a

clip he played for USC when I was three years old I did a triple I'm like that's a different Gibson I'm like nah the same bald head everything it was Todd Gibson in the flesh in 2026 so what's wrong with that the league is crazy it is a little bit you know Todd Gibson is still playing no no yeah Todd Gibson

having a job right now is really crazy that's crazy out to him though for staying in shape and like getting the call and yeah I just was at a restaurant I see Victor Oladipo. He's like, yeah, I'm just looking at Todd Gibson can play. Ola Depot can play. I think Ola Depot might even be younger than him.

He's way, way, way, way. And he's like, I'm looking for, you know, a situation. I'm like, yeah. Conley and Tosh Gibson and. That's what goes to show it's about your attitude. And she's like, because I know Todd Gibson, like, just good God. And I'm not going to find a greater God. So he's on the roster because I can't see him playing right now. He was getting me.

He was closing out. Closing out game. No, he's closing out on a shooter in the corner. Oh, so you seen him for like one minute. And you realized like, oh shit, that's Todd Gibson. It was nuts. All right. So he wasn't playing much.

But I like, yeah, like the good guys like kind of, what's the name, they way out the lead? You see the Pat Bev's, one day you're playing and another day you're just in Israel because you do shit like push Chris Paul in the back. You're going to media runs, talking about people like that. So you're going to exit a different way than the Todd Gibson. He's arguing with Dwayne Wade right now. Yeah. You're arguing with the way I mean

Like what the fuck are you doing That shit go to way It goes too ways You see how we just We got our opinions Like oh Steph better than such and such and say Pat Bebber's like that Now his take sometimes be crazy

Like You're saying You picking Wade No you're picking hard and over Wade Ignoring Wade On the other end of the court And championships But then in the next

The very next video He picked Kaua over KD. And his explanation was championships and defense. I'm like, nigga, yo. And that's just what I'd be talking about. It's like, if I'm going to call you out, stuff going to slip.

Rachel Nichols voted Hardin for MVP like multiple times. And then before Luke got hurt, it's like, ah, I can't vote Luca. He doesn't have defense. I'm like, yo, where was that with that? That doesn't. Because you know what? It wasn't that Hardin, didn't play defense. It's almost like he couldn't.

He was like a heavy set. you did a lot of offense so you always looked like you was dying out on defense Luca just looked like I don't feel like it They're pretty fucking similar They are

But nah Hard than to get like a A little steel Nah son If you rock with one guy I feel you gotta rock with the other Or don't with either I agree I agree I agree

And that's what I'm saying That's what I was saying about Pat Be consistent Exactly same thing Just be consistent That's all Like if you value your defense If you don't you don't Right, and your opinion could be whatever you want.

But on this internet, and when we got all this footage that we can cut back to, you ought to just watch what you say because stuff just be sounding too crazy. Like you intentionally making us feel like... Hardin's got to be like the most polarizing player ever, though. Hardin? Yeah. You'll get dudes ringing him over D. Wade, and then they came out the list top ten best pure scores ever, and he wasn't on it. That's, that's, yeah, I wouldn't do it.

That whole list should be... be done over. It should be a graphic up here would be, like, crossing certain people out. Because I can remember vaguely, a lot of people not being there that balloon there. Like, I'm like pure scorer. Janice. Come, what are you doing? And I'm not saying it.

Like, Janus isn't a great scorer because he is. But he's not better than the greatest scorers ever. And that's just where, like, come on, y'all are idiot. Whoever be making these lists. Like, how did me? He averaged 40. 40?

Hardens that guy. Yeah, he's too bad guy, bro. Yeah, the Fribble Pack is the ISO. Yeah. I think, I think, um, them years where he was MVP or second MVP, second again, that was like one of the greatest three, four-year runs I've ever seen. I'm not. Right.

Like, imagine he played in the 80s, 90s where he couldn't double team. Yeah, no. What would he do? Same thing Bowen Island would do. Yeah. Oh, it's crazy. No. No, it's not the same thing.

If you plug and play Bones-Hallon in the 80s, you wouldn't average 30? No, not like, you would not do the same thing as Arden. But Bones-Haw? Because he wouldn't average assist too, but 30, Bones-Hawland in the 80s? You don't think they would bench him when he's jacking up threes? Probably. Yeah, you write about that. Would you jack up as many threes if Jeff Hornisack and M is guarding you?

And it's not like I'm picking on Jeff Hornsack. That's the third time I said his name. Let me think about it. No, you're really a Jeff Hornisack hater. Not really. And he was a solid two guard. Yeah, we're 17 a game at point. You see what I'm saying?

It's solid and then there's Mike and these is who you had to come on. It does sound fun. Hersey Hawkins and stuff like that. But we all got the shoes. Who are you playing? Yeah. If Mike was a solo like transfer Mike in this league because you know the first thing they say Mike average 45 in this.

No, he won't. He wasn't that type of shooter. But he would kill though. But would he be what he was? Do you see him winning six rings? in 10 years in this It's hard to win rings now So do you see

So say it So say no Six but I think he'd be just As successful like individually I think it averaged like a 30 point triple double So he'd be Westbrook Like More efficient

Better defending Because he was efficient as hell I mean he was shooting like He was crazy good at those pull-up jumpers Who? Jordan No but in this league right here Where like your defenders aren't like

Reggie Miller who was like, look like Yeah. We got more space here, right? Because his teammates are going to be great shooters too, so there's more room to operate. I just feel like Mike was a real benefit of like the luck of the draw. Because what if Scotty Pippen, who was like the next best like athletic, defensive, slashing type of player, he's on your team too?

And what if he was on the Knicks and Pat and Starks and him? Jordan going 6 and 0. He's going to the finals over and over. and over again? No. That's what I'm saying. But you can say that about anyone, right? No, I'm not going to say that about anyone. Said it about Jordan.

And in this league right here, if Mike was to win too straight, nobody's sitting back and just letting that happen. You know what they're doing? And Ever is going to call Wimby. Yo, Michael Jordan over here, wowing. You want to come here or I got to come over there? Now we're on the same team, and Jordan got to beat two superstars now, a la Stefan Durant.

They tried to make super teams, but they didn't work. back then. Barkley and Drexler and all these dudes were teaming up, but it wasn't like, they were too old, I guess. They weren't in their product. Yeah, that's the thing. Brann made it, like, Braun and Wade and them. You're doing this thing. Being like 28 years old,

that was great. We're doing it in the middle of us. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, like, and, Boston and them got put together. Like, Ray Allen didn't know, like, I'm about to go play with poor peers. KG didn't know I'm going to get traded to Boston. That shit just happened. They made this banana boat plane and that she just kicked off

what's going on. Nobody's sitting around and watching nobody dominate. You agree that the Katie Warriors would be any team ever? Yes. Yeah. I got seven as a goat. You're going to give him another goat type player? Yeah. It's not even fit. Yeah. Yeah. And they would have three peter. If Durant didn't get

her against Toronto. Oh, yeah. For sure. And that's why injuries changed everything because that koal run put him in a different like stratosphere as a player. I don't got him top 10, but shit he topped 20 off that run like dirt got that run in 2011 you just sometimes you just need that run facts no kawai did that though right kawai did it is that guy did it i mean like i said though

kd don't get hurt they beat them no then you wouldn't really you wouldn't praise the final appearance that toronto would have if they lose to go to that team was stacked that raptors team yeah it was on because that's one of them step losses i don't like you know but like loud They had Marcus Saul, Abaka. And then you're like, wait, they had Norm Powell. They had Fred Van Fleet. They had OG. Yeah.

I mean, OG wasn't playing, but. Yeah, yeah. But imagine if you... Yeah, that's sad. They could say the same thing. Like, maybe... They might have been able to be the word they had OG. They were stacked.

Yeah, they were stuck. Norm Powell? Like, just off the bench. Van Fleet. These are all like $35 million guys now. Yeah, definitely a good team. So who you got this year? Oh.

Because you could come from an unbiased. It's hard. for me to answer that question, my team, one of them teams. Who you got in there being a part of the lady? I like your spurs pick. I like your spurs pick. I'm going to go to the spurs. Wait, what Spurs pick?

To go to the, I picked them to go to the finals. Well, you picked them to beat the Knicks. No, I didn't. I picked them to go to the finals. Don't make me, don't play. I like this podcast. I'll start beef. I pick my Knicks to beat the Spurs.

Don't do that because they're going to be unwinding it. Oh, you went through to rewind in it and watch it. Are you good at what you do? You go ahead what you do. Time stamp it. Go out what he said. I like your spurs pick. Wimby, greatest defender ever.

Right? Come on. Who would you rather have defending the paint ever? Somebody with a little strength on him. But he's just like, you can't shoot near the paint. Says who? Says Yokic? You see the game last week?

White over his head. Outstretched arms. Can't fix scratching his head after. Can't figure what I? Yeah. Greatest son ever. It's levels to this.

You still got learning to do. You don't think Wembe's in a past him? Best defender ever. You don't think Wembe's going to pass him? Do I think what? Wembe's going to pass Yokich. And what? Basketball.

Oh, no. I think Wembe's going to be the goat. The game has separate race Yokish. I swear I watch a Denver game. Every shot they get is a good one. And it's him. You don't need a point guard. Jamar Marino, point guard.

He's a two. You got him. him out there, everything else just falls in a place. Aaron Gordon, like, just kind of don't have, like, an offensive role. Don't need it. Like, he's going to find you. And, yo, yo, yo, he's, man. Like, the passing kind of separates him from everybody else.

He rebounds like a center, scores like the best, one of the best scorers, and then the passing separates him from everybody. That's valid. Everything is a good shot. Huh? He's the best today, no doubt. Best today? Yeah.

If you're arguing that, you don't, you don't know what you're watching. Right. I agree. Anything else you want to get out? You're saying best player overall of? Yeah, yeah, Yokic right now. You got him over Shay? Yeah, right now.

Okay. Shout to Shea, though. Hmm? Shout to Shea though. Shout out to Shea. Yo, man. Every time I, see how we just stamp Yokish? Every time I think about snapping Yokish like that,

Shea has a game on Sunday, and he never, ever, ever disappoints. No, he doesn't have 10 and 10 on the back of his 38. Yeah. But they be needing his buckets Like when they need him It's on You double team him It doesn't matter

He's taking it I see him kill us Oh you cannot cover him One-on-on-one Yeah He's impossible Yeah He waits for the double

Just to split it He's one of the very best Ever one-on-one Yeah He's literally in stocking So what he ought to do To make his way In the top 10

Because he already has an MVP Yeah I guess If he won it this year If he did it again Right If he wins another Finals MVP this year Is he top 10

He might be He's right there So is he already better than Harder? Yeah. You already got him ranked ahead of Harding? So you got him as a point guard or a shooting guard? Ooh. I guess a one.

I'm just saying, just for ranking purposes, where would you rank him? Yeah, I guess he'd be a one. So you got... I guess he'd be three. So where would you rank him in point guards right now? This might be the hardest question in sports because... Four, four, three, three. All time?

Shea already? Yeah. Who's three? So you got Steph Magic and Shay is number three? Yeah, I had a Chris Paul and Kid and Nash. Oscar Robertson. So if you had him as a shooting guard, we would you ring him?

Ooh. Wait, MJ, Kobe, Jerry West. He's probably, oh, Wade. Five. You got Jerry West? Yeah. I think Jerry, Jerry West would translate to today's game.

He could shoot the hell out of the ball. They didn't even have a three-point line. Clay could shoot. He can't handle the ball at Jerry West. Jerry West was nice. He was? Yeah. Like I said, you younger than me, and I don't know about Jerry West.

How you know? You got to study up. Yeah, man. We got to, like, do like a live stream watching old games. Like, do they, was they recording back then? Yeah, Jerry West. Yeah, I don't see no footage. I don't see no Jerry West's footage that wins me over.

Like, oh, yeah, the bag. I don't see it, you? Yeah, not a, it was different. I said in how you got him top five over baggy shooting girls. Jerry West was like that. How do you know? He's the logo. Yo, I don't care about the logo.

Yo, they need to change the logo to this. He's the logo. Because, listen, Harding is better than Jerry West, man. I'm not going to sit there to argue with you about it. By a lot, too. By a lot. By a lot. And you go off for what you, like I said, I go off of what I see.

Jerry West, give me. me one highlight, moment, anything, even when they say, Havlick steals the ball? Wasn't it stealing from Jerry West or something like that? What have you done? Now, let me not say that because I don't want to bring your podcast down like we're smoking Jerry West. But I'm saying, though, like, how is he in your top five?

Your top five. He's 24. So y'all got to get where I'm coming from with this. He's 24. You got to explain to me why Jerry West is in your top five shooting girls. Resume. Rings, performances, stats. And then I'm looking at it

And then I'm like he didn't have a three point line So if he had a three And he was shooting from deep If you watch his clips He's shooting from deep All right, so right after this show We're gonna watch the clips I'll make like a little Instagram video

With you if you're proving yourself right But you gotta show me what you saw I'm not looking at nothing Show me what you saw That convinced you And if it don't move me I'm coming back on this show In the summertime

All right Last year We just playing the Celtics right Stephen A gives me the pass I'm on the floor Jason Tatum shooting around This is the game that Whatever happened happened

It wasn't my fault But he's shooting around And before that he had Tim's on So I'm like yeah I saw you being funny So he's shooting And every time he's shooting On some warmup

I'm like miss So he gets me removed Like this guy over here He's making mad noise So I'm like I'll go down there Jalen Brown shooting around Miss doing the same thing to him So they told me I can't be on the court

move me up and then I had said something to somebody that had on a Celtic fan a Celtic jacket in the garden Yeah And they was like Who are you in here with So at this point

I ain't trying to get away in trouble I'm like Nobody like They was like no you're lying Go up there with With the people that you came with So now I'm in the sky bar And I got the text message

Like listen From that one Unless you get a ticket You can't I'm like so I'm banned On some media shit All right Well I got to start throwing watch parties

We can have fun And act like me And not getting in trouble So that's what I do around the city. I bet. Probably more fun anyways.

Yeah, man. Just have more fun like that anyway. Yeah. Are you like, you didn't get to be invited to the parade? Who, you?

You. You can't ban you from the parade, right? I am in a parade. You can't keep me off the streets. They can't do that. I had my own parade after we beat the Celtics.

I'm going to show you the video. Maybe you could put the, no, we got a guy who does it splices the B-roll. Oh yeah, I bet. I think we might have the same guy. Yeah, you're going to have to see it. Shout to Harlem.

I was all through the streets. I was on top of like street signs and stuff like that and they were like oh what if it felt it would sue the ESPNs I'm like oh you know what separate me yeah and uh and that's where we all know yeah there's a lot of pressure dog yeah there's a lot of pressure unless they're cutting you a check don't don't represent them yeah yeah you go yeah yeah don't represent the world like exactly i need i need this type of freedom like unless they put you on the show like don't exactly i need this type of freedom so whenever you need like a co-host we could like step yeah yeah let's do it even skip bag this is yeah yeah i'm down

My guy. Good show, man. Josh Smith. Josh Smith.