NBA fans slam Kenny Smith for Sabrina Ionescu comments after Steph Curry 3-Point Challenge
NBA on TNT - YouTubeTNT analyst Kenny Smith came under fire for his bold statement regarding Sabrina Ionescu following her 3-Point Challenge loss against NBA superstar Stephen Curry on Saturday night.
What would NBA All-Star Weekend be without former Houston Rockets great Kenny Smith calling its most heralded events?
Smith usually goes viral for his captivating sound bites tied to the most electrifying highlights from Saturday night’s anticipated Slam Dunk and 3-Point contests. But this year, controversy has made Smith the talk of the town.
During the league’s inaugural NBA vs. WNBA 3-Point Challenge between Golden State Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry and New York Liberty superstar Sabrina Ionescu, Smith boldly asserted that Ionescu should have shot from the women’s three-point line. But was that all Smith said that rubbed some the wrong way?
Smith’s comments get backlash from NBA announcers and fans
Immediately following Curry’s victory over Ionescu by a score of 29-26, Smith made the case that Ionescu should have been able to shoot from the WNBA three, which is just over 22.17 feet away from the basket, as opposed to the NBA three from 23.9 feet out. Smith believed that this would have allowed her to put up an even stronger fight and give her a chance to win the event. But Reggie Miller was the first to clap back at the Jet while broadcasting next to him.
This exchange from the two three-point shooting marksmen of their era created a firestorm afterward on social media:
“That would have been a fair contest. I still support Sabrina. But she should have shot it from where the women shoot from,” Smith stated before Miller defended Ionescu.
“Why are you putting those boundaries on her? She wanted to shoot from [the men’s line],” Miller fired back.
Smith was entitled to his opinion, but some felt his rationale put limits on Ionescu, who managed to shoot just as well as most great three-point shooters would against the widely regarded greatest of all-time in that field.
On X, fans gave Smith a piece of their mind. One hoops enthusiast, WickedCoy, mocked Smith’s notoriously embarrassing reverse slam blunder in the Dunk Contest:
A less personal jab came from McmurphyMurph, who affirmed that Ionescu’s range as a shooter goes beyond the measurements of either league:
Ionescu had received much support from her NBA counterparts who picked her to win. Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving all sided with the WNBA sharpshooter.
The blowback on Smith likely won’t last long, but his take surely caused a stir in the NBA world.
