Stephen A. Smith ‘Apologized’ To NBA City On Wednesday originally appeared on The Spun.
Stephen A. Smith took a shot at a major NBA city on Tuesday and decided to apologize for it on Wednesday.
Sort of.
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Yesterday Smith addressed some controversy over the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to land big name free agents. He remarked that the reason the team is struggling is because the city of Memphis, Tennessee is unsafe for players to live in.
“It’s a great sports town, great fans, great people,” Smith explained. “But there’s an element there where cats like Jimmy Butler and others don’t feel like it’s the safest environment. I’m talking to the local authorities in Memphis. You gotta clean some of that stuff up because it’s dissuasive to NBA players. They have talked about it. I know, they’ve told me.”
That statement didn’t sit well with the Grizzlies players, Memphis citizens or really anyone.
So on Wednesday he said that more can be done for the city of Memphis and apologized if anyone was offended by what he said. He then added “facts are facts.”
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“The citizens in Memphis, I think a lot better can be done for them… I apologize if anybody was offended by it. But facts are facts,” he said. “It’s moving in the right direction, but it’s still recognized as one of the worst cities in America. To the point where the head of the FBI has called it ‘the murder capital of this country’ per capita. That’s on the record.”
Smith didn’t exactly apologize to the people of Memphis for calling their city unsafe though. He is sticking to his guns on that point.
ESPN featured commentator and executive producer on set on February 07, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
Fans immediately called out Smith for speaking like a politician rather than someone who actually cares about the city:
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“Man wants to be a politician instead of an analyst. ESPN needs to move on man,” one user remarked.
“Yes, Memphis is a bad city, we all know this. But it shouldn’t be talked about on First Take,” wrote another.
“Stephen A Smith calling out crime statistics so he can sound president-worthy. The gift that keeps on giving. Didn’t think SAS could become more of a box scores watcher.”
One thing is for sure: Smith might find the western region of Tennessee a tough spot to get votes if he ever runs for President.
Related: Stephen A. Smith Taking Heat For Calling U.S. City ‘Unsafe’
Stephen A. Smith ‘Apologized’ To NBA City On Wednesday first appeared on The Spun on Jun 18, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.