NBA analyst Kenny Smith is making an attempt to elucidate away his feedback about New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu that had been met with backlash.
The “NBA on TNT” panelist discovered himself in some sizzling water after making a comment through the Steph Curry vs. Ionescu 3-point competitors that some followers had deemed condescending towards the WNBA participant.
Smith had been making a convoluted level concerning the distance wherein the 2 professional basketball gamers had been taking pictures from as broadcast companion and former NBAer Reggie Miller stated, “In response to you, you need her to be taking part in with dolls.”
“And there’s nothing fallacious with taking part in with dolls,” Smith retorted a couple of minutes later.
The awkward trade drew a unfavourable response on social media, however Smith claimed throughout an look on the “Stephen A. Smith Present” that the controversy was “a lot ado about nothing.”
“Most individuals who know basketball understood what I used to be speaking about,” Smith stated. “Truly, I used to be advocating for her, greater than anything, as a result of basketball is muscle reminiscence. So he practices from one vary, she practices from one other.
“There’s even a examine … the man who throws darts. And when you transfer him out even one step, his accuracy adjustments dramatically. So I’m like, ‘Why is [Curry] getting the benefit, to shoot at his line? That’s a bonus. It’s not gender, it’s not genetics.”
Curry and Ionescu had been dealing with each other for the primary time in an NBA vs. WNBA 3-point problem through the weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities in Indianapolis.
Curry simply edged out Ionescu 29-26 to win the inaugural occasion.
![New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu takes part in a competition against Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry at the NBA basketball All-Star weekend, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/new-york-liberty-guard-sabrina-76722968.jpg?w=1024)
Whereas addressing the feedback about dolls, Smith stated that his first thought had been about what problem was there about taking part in dolls when Miller made the joke.
“It is best to play with dolls, and you are able to do sports activities,” Smith stated.
The previous NBA participant criticized the truth that individuals had been so fast to guage a state of affairs with out realizing all the small print.
“Most individuals simply don’t examine the tape, they wish to simply examine the bait,” he stated.