Stephen A. Smith, one of the most prominent New York Knicks fans in sports media, wants to hear less from one of New York\u2019s key players. Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart recently came to the defense of his teammate Mikal Bridges, saying that Bridges has garnered some unwarranted criticism for fulfilling the role the team needs him to.<\/p>\n
Smith, however, isn\u2019t having it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need Josh Hart to be quiet,\u201d Smith said of Hart\u2019s comments on Tuesday\u2019s edition of First Take on ESPN.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to stand down. This is grown-ups. This is business. So let\u2019s keep it a buck here,\u201d Smith continued, going on to emphasize that Bridges needs to perform at a higher level in order to justify the seven draft picks the Knicks relinquished to acquire him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need Josh Hart to be quiet. \u2026 Seven picks. \u2026 For a dude who can\u2019t even get you 10 PPG?\u201d@stephenasmith<\/a> responds to Josh Hart\u2019s defense of Mikal Bridges recent play \ud83d\ude33 pic.twitter.com\/KZMiNredb3<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 First Take (@FirstTake) March 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In much the same vein, Hart doesn\u2019t want to hear it from Smith, either.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, Stephen A., as a part-time Knicks fan, needs to shut the hell up,\u201d Hart said Thursday morning, via the New York Post<\/a>. \u201cHe barely knows guys that\u2019s on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m definitely not going to listen to a part-time Knicks fan,\u201d The Roommates Show co-host added. \u201cWhen Stephen A. rolls up to MSG with a \u2018New York\u2019 on his chest and ties up his sneaks and plays for us, then I\u2019ll listen to what he has to say.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith, a Hollis, Queens native, has certainly had his fair share of Knicks-related gaffes over the years. The First Take star has forgotten the name of a key rotation player<\/a> and raved about the contributions of another who\u2019d already been traded<\/a>.<\/p>\n While Bridges is having a somewhat pedestrian season by the numbers, averaging just under 15 points to go along with four points and 3.9 rebounds, his defensive impact and gravity as a floor spacer don\u2019t show up on the box score, and the Knicks\u2019 114-103 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday evening ended a seven-game win streak.<\/p>\n The reality, however, is that even with New York just one game out of the second seed in the Eastern Conference, it\u2019s likely that the only way Hart is going to get a content Stephen A. Smith is if he and Bridges help New York bring home the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy.<\/p>\n \t