Stephen A. Smith Reveals Shocking Change of Heart on Luka Doncic vs. Jalen Brunson All-NBA Voting
When it comes to hot-take artists, logic is usually either thrown out the window all together or altered to fit an agenda.
That’s what ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith put on display for the world to see during Friday’s episode of “First Take,” as he shockingly stated that he regrets voting for New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson to be on the All-NBA Second Team over Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.
“I wasn’t shocked,” Smith said of Brunson’s All-NBA selection. “But upon reflection, I definitely thought Jalen Brunson deserved to be [All-NBA] First Team. Believe it or not, even ahead of Luka [Doncic].”
Although many people feel like Doncic was snubbed by only finishing third in MVP voting this season, Smith didn’t even have Doncic as a finalist for the award on his ballot. Smith voted for Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who Doncic eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
“Now, I know that’s sacrilegious,” Smith said of suggesting Doncic should’ve been an All-NBA Second Team player. “To be quite honest, I had Jalen Brunson Second Team, but I kinda regret doing that. … I know how great Luka Doncic is, I look at Kyrie [Irving] and the rest of these boys, and I’m like… Jalen Brunson didn’t have that kinda help.”
By that logic, though, shouldn’t Brunson be ranked higher than SGA on Smith’s list due to all the help SGA had in the form of Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort and others? And what about all the injuries and roster shakeups Doncic had to navigate the Mavs through en route to posting the same record in the West Conference that Brunson’s Knicks posted in a weaker Eastern Conference?
Again, Smith’s entire line of thinking is flawed on this topic. We’re not saying that every national media member should be a fan of Luka Doncic, but when you are important enough to have a vote for NBA awards, being consistent with your reasoning for voting the way you do isn’t too much to ask for.
