Speaker 1: This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network
Speaker 1: search seventy Sixers podcast wherever you get your pods. This
Speaker 1: week's edition of Tom's Talks is a conversation with ESPN
Speaker 1: commentator Stephen A. Smith. Stephen covered the seventy six Ers
Speaker 1: twenty plus years ago as the beat writer for the
Speaker 1: Philadelphia Inquirer. Growing up in Hollis Queens in New York City,
Speaker 1: Stephen played basketball to Thomas Edison High School, which eventually
Speaker 1: led him to Winston Salem State University. I spoke to
Speaker 1: Stephen from the set of ABC soap opera General Hospital,
Speaker 1: where he appears in a recurring role as the character Brick.
Speaker 1: Here's my conversation with Stephen A. Smith. Welcome to another
Speaker 1: edition of Tom's Talks, and we're joined by ESPN Stephen A. Smith.
Speaker 1: And what a treat this is. Stephen. We so much
Speaker 1: to appreciate your time. You covered the Sixers some twenty
Speaker 1: years ago. I've known you for at least that much time. Man,
Speaker 1: So happy for your success. You've done extremely well. How
Speaker 1: are you doing right now? Well, I'm doing fantastic. First
Speaker 1: of all, it was great talking to you, is great
Speaker 1: seeing you, buddy, I'm glad you told h your audience.
Speaker 1: We've known each other for more than two decades. You're
Speaker 1: the best in the business, and you're a good man,
Speaker 1: and I'm honored to be here with you. And I
Speaker 1: miss you, and I miss all the guys associated with
Speaker 1: the Sixers organization. Y'all will always be family to me.
Speaker 1: I've been very, very blessed, There's no doubt about that.
Speaker 1: A very fortunate work, very hard to get to where
Speaker 1: I am. And you know I never stopped. You still
Speaker 1: got to put in that work every single day. He
Speaker 1: can't take anything for granted, but my roots, on my roots.
Speaker 1: I got a newspaper background, I got a journalistic background
Speaker 1: covering the NBA. I'm now I've exceeded what twenty five
Speaker 1: years covering the NBA now, So it's been an incredible honor.
Speaker 1: A lot of good things have happened for me. I'm
Speaker 1: very happy with that, but I miss a lot of
Speaker 1: that stuff. Man, covering Alan Irison and Larry brown Billy King,
Speaker 1: Pack Croachy and everybody you know for those years Philadelphia
Speaker 1: from ninety ninety six to basically the two thousand and
Speaker 1: three in and Larry Browning and arrived in ninety seven,
Speaker 1: as you well know, but some of the greatest experiences
Speaker 1: of my professional career, and I still hold on to
Speaker 1: it very very much so because if it wasn't for
Speaker 1: those experiences, I don't think i'd be where I am today. Well,
Speaker 1: and that's what I was going to ask you, because
Speaker 1: it is different when you get to your level on
Speaker 1: the national stage where you're not boots on the ground.
Speaker 1: If you will cover the team as you did with
Speaker 1: the Sixers as the beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer,
Speaker 1: you're also a columnist here in Philadelphia. How did that
Speaker 1: shape your career and what do you remember most about
Speaker 1: that time? Well, well, for me, I think that you know,
Speaker 1: you become more human because you realize the power of
Speaker 1: words even more so. You know, I'd always aspired to
Speaker 1: be a general sports columnist. I wanted the license to
Speaker 1: open and the editorialize and really really express my opinion,
Speaker 1: and I was willing to put in the work to
Speaker 1: get to that point. Remember, back then, it wasn't social media,
Speaker 1: it wasn't Twitter, face Book and Instagram, and you couldn't
Speaker 1: become a columnist by being a blog or anything like that.
Speaker 1: You actually had to work in the print industry, and
Speaker 1: you had to really really make your bones, you know,
Speaker 1: pounding that pavement and reporting and making sure that you
Speaker 1: established yourself as a journalist who a strong degree. All
Speaker 1: of those things came into play. But for me personally,
Speaker 1: I think that your friend in mind, the late Phil
Speaker 1: Jazz and the God bless his wonderful soul. I can't
Speaker 1: emphasize enough how much he helped me because he was
Speaker 1: such an absolute pro doing what he did covering the
Speaker 1: Philadelphia seventy six ers for as many years as he did.
Speaker 1: To walk in there as a B writer for the
Speaker 1: Philadelphia Inquiry, knowing that I had him to go up
Speaker 1: against every day, that was the challenge, and you had
Speaker 1: to dotch your eyes, You had to crush your teas,
Speaker 1: and you had to stand out in certain respects. You
Speaker 1: definitely had to do your reporting, but you had to
Speaker 1: cultivate resources. You had to do networking, and then you
Speaker 1: had to be about the ground of writing every day
Speaker 1: and putting in that at work. Because you knew that
Speaker 1: man was always working. You wondered when he slept, You
Speaker 1: wonder when he would take a break. You certainly knew
Speaker 1: that he wasn't gonna have any mercy upon beating your
Speaker 1: brains in as an opposing beat writer and knowing that
Speaker 1: you were going up against that challenge. It just you know,
Speaker 1: you just really really had to get your feet wet
Speaker 1: in that regard. You had to put your feet in.
Speaker 1: It ain't so more for the Philadelphia Inquired was a
Speaker 1: tremendous help and a tremendous boost to my career. Guys
Speaker 1: like Mike Brewton, Mike Bruton, Bob Ford and those guys
Speaker 1: the great Bill Lyon and his ride just a poet
Speaker 1: in motion. I had the luxury and the benefit of
Speaker 1: working with from those guys. And I can't ephasize enough
Speaker 1: Mike Bruton in the things basis, I'll never forget it
Speaker 1: as long as I live. And had great bosses like
Speaker 1: Robert Rose and Doll and Phil Dixon and Bore and
Speaker 1: you know Tim Dwire and you know a whole bunch
Speaker 1: of other guys, Rob King, and I just had so
Speaker 1: many people that I'm connected to Phil of course, the
Speaker 1: great Sunny Hill and the great John Cheney I covered.
Speaker 1: I covered John Cheney before I covered the Sixes. All
Speaker 1: of those people helped me tremendously and I wouldn't be
Speaker 1: where I am again if it wasn't for that one,
Speaker 1: I say, the Philadelphia experience, I'm talking about it all.
Speaker 1: I'm talking about me elevating my wardrobe. And I go
Speaker 1: to a norsetrooms and somebody's waiting at the bottom of
Speaker 1: the escalator for me time. And it was an employee
Speaker 1: for the Norse strooms, that King of Prussia, and I
Speaker 1: didn't know who it was. And they said, you're Stephen
Speaker 1: a Smith. Pat Crowchie called us ahead of the time
Speaker 1: to let us know you were coming to body these shoes.
Speaker 1: And I had no idea because Pat Croch and them
Speaker 1: and Larry Brown like need to upgrade, you need to
Speaker 1: improve your wardrobe, stuff like that. And Billy King used
Speaker 1: to tease me, and Amaron McKee used to tease me
Speaker 1: about my wardrobe all the time, all of those different things.
Speaker 1: I still talk to these guys all the time, and McKey.
Speaker 1: I reach out every now and then to George lynch
Speaker 1: Ewick Snows of the World, Alan Irvson and I talk
Speaker 1: at least three four times a month. So I am
Speaker 1: Billy King and I do as well. So and I
Speaker 1: just won't Delie Brown now on the day. So it's
Speaker 1: a family to me, to be quite honest with you,
Speaker 1: and you're included in that, by the way. That's great,
Speaker 1: that's great that hey that first of all, it's a
Speaker 1: tremendous praise for Phil. I'm sure his son Andy and
Speaker 1: his family would totally appreciate that. I used to say
Speaker 1: somewhat in jest, that I followed the Sixers through Phil
Speaker 1: Jester with the Daily News and then relative to here Nordstrom.
Speaker 1: That's pretty good because I was going to the Lord
Speaker 1: and Taylor there in Bala Kinwood. And when you mentioned
Speaker 1: Mike Bruton, I sat down right there at that restaurant
Speaker 1: next to that shopping complex with Mike when I first
Speaker 1: came to Philadelphia, all the way back in nineteen ninety five.
Speaker 1: So that's straight that you remember all those people. Let
Speaker 1: me ask you because, as you said, you were a writer,
Speaker 1: and as a writer, you're an artist. And so my
Speaker 1: question is when did you find your voice? And I
Speaker 1: don't mean like the radio voice or your television but
Speaker 1: you know, like where you and for me and you
Speaker 1: helped me out here. But when you used to go
Speaker 1: on like drive up the North Jersey and go on
Speaker 1: with Bruce Beck at the time it was CNA or
Speaker 1: loot Elly on Delaware Avenue or Michael Barkind at the
Speaker 1: then Comcast Sports Net where you were, you know, commentating
Speaker 1: on the Sixers, but you found to me, I would
Speaker 1: think that was some of the underpinnings of what your
Speaker 1: television career has become. Is that accurate? Oh? Very accurate?
Speaker 1: Very accurate, because what happened is that the first time
Speaker 1: I went on television, this was my thing. CNA wasn't
Speaker 1: paying you, Bruce Beck Lutillian, those guys weren't not paying you,
Speaker 1: but they were kind enough to have me on. I
Speaker 1: was breaking my shaft stories obviously, and things were going
Speaker 1: well since I had no television training, but I knew
Speaker 1: I had the information because I was myself and guys
Speaker 1: like Phil we would have once reporting. My attitude was
Speaker 1: just say what you know, okay, because nobody else is
Speaker 1: covering the team like you two are. Then once you
Speaker 1: articulate your thoughts, articulated in a fashion that you think
Speaker 1: will resonate with viewers and listeners, but be as authentic
Speaker 1: as you possibly can be, because it needs to be
Speaker 1: something that's going to be sustainable. If you're faking it,
Speaker 1: then that's not gonna last. People will see right through it.
Speaker 1: It's phony. It's not going to come across as authentic,
Speaker 1: and you're not gonna last two minutes. So I was
Speaker 1: really really focused on being my true, authentic self. But
Speaker 1: still as you're doing that, you don't know how it
Speaker 1: really is going to resonate on television per se. And
Speaker 1: that's where the bruce becks and the lutilities of the
Speaker 1: world really really came in. And Angelo Catoldi is another
Speaker 1: name because he would bring me on his morning radio show.
Speaker 1: All the time. As you're talking to these people and
Speaker 1: they're gravitating towards you and wanting more and more and
Speaker 1: more of it, you're watching yourself. You're seeing what they
Speaker 1: love about you, and you just go about the business
Speaker 1: of continuing to provide the viewer, the listener, etc. What
Speaker 1: you know they're going to know, while also maintaining a
Speaker 1: true authentic self, recognizing that phoniness is never going to work,
Speaker 1: and so for me to hone in on it to
Speaker 1: master doing what it is that I do. I would
Speaker 1: say again, the Philly roots played a very pivotal role
Speaker 1: in all of that, because you knew how to find
Speaker 1: a voice, first of all by being a columnist, but
Speaker 1: then it was augmented and elevated once the lutilities and
Speaker 1: the Bruce Becks of the world and Angelo Cataris of
Speaker 1: the world started bringing on their airwaves asking you to
Speaker 1: disseminate the kind of message that you were writing about already.
Speaker 1: And I think that's why I say the Philadelphia roots
Speaker 1: definitely come into play there profoundly. We'll have more of
Speaker 1: my conversation with stephen A. Smith after this. In this
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Speaker 1: stephen A. You've been a writer, and as you said,
Speaker 1: you've put in the work and all the way back
Speaker 1: to Winston Salem State and as a college a student,
Speaker 1: and then all the way untill now and everything you
Speaker 1: just said about Philadelphia and all your stops along the way.
Speaker 1: And I mean this is high praise as a compliment
Speaker 1: because it's one thing to chase your passion, but in essence,
Speaker 1: and this is from your bosses. If you will at ESPN,
Speaker 1: you get paid to be you. I mean, how many
Speaker 1: people get to say that you're yourself, as you said,
Speaker 1: your authentic self and bringing this you know, WorldWind of
Speaker 1: knowledge and your world experience, your knowledge of sports and
Speaker 1: athletes and covering it, but you get to be you.
Speaker 1: That's pretty unique. It is unique, and I'm very blessed
Speaker 1: and fortunate. I wish I could tell you there was
Speaker 1: a skill that came with that, but that's a lot
Speaker 1: of luck, a lot of blessings that have come by way.
Speaker 1: There's no way, there's no way around that. And I'm
Speaker 1: so incredibly humbled by it and thankful to so many
Speaker 1: people because I certainly didn't get here by myself. So
Speaker 1: many people helped me get to where I am today.
Speaker 1: And if it wasn't for their contributions in my life
Speaker 1: on a personal level, willing to support me, willing to
Speaker 1: guide me, willing to do to me, willing to tell
Speaker 1: me the dudes and don't the right and wrongs. I
Speaker 1: wouldn't be here today, and so that definitely definitely comes
Speaker 1: into play. I can't deny that. But the other side
Speaker 1: to it is that just remembering that journalistic background and
Speaker 1: acknowledging the importance of being human, Can I be bombastic?
Speaker 1: Of course I can? Can I be demonstrators? Of course
Speaker 1: I can. But I would like to believe that anybody
Speaker 1: who truly truly watches me and goes beyond that would
Speaker 1: see a person that strives to be a human being.
Speaker 1: At all times, I can criticize or even excoriate what
Speaker 1: you do without seeing that who you are. I'm going
Speaker 1: on an incident or an incident or a case by
Speaker 1: case basis, because none of us are flawless, none of
Speaker 1: us are perfect. We all make mistakes, and I think
Speaker 1: that I try to make sure that that comes across
Speaker 1: and I also try to make it come acrosse journalistically
Speaker 1: in terms of really appreciating people like yourself and newspaper
Speaker 1: guys out there, not just yourself, for newspaper guys out
Speaker 1: there as well that are pounding that pavement, covering a
Speaker 1: team every day. I can talk about the Philadelphia seventy
Speaker 1: six is based on what I see, but I don't
Speaker 1: cover them every day, the way that I used to
Speaker 1: and the way that you always have, and the way
Speaker 1: that other guys like Tom Moore and others and Delaware
Speaker 1: have covered this team for so many years. They know
Speaker 1: more about the team than me. So when I have
Speaker 1: a national platform, I might say something, but I don't
Speaker 1: hesitate to say. I read this in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Speaker 1: I heard this person say that this is the person
Speaker 1: covering the team. They know because it's the respectful thing
Speaker 1: to do, because it's fair. They're the ones covering a team,
Speaker 1: not me. Those are the kind of things that I
Speaker 1: try to bring to the industry that I'm in now,
Speaker 1: so they'll remember, just because you're in front of the camera,
Speaker 1: you're getting paid a lot of money, does not mean
Speaker 1: that you get to disrespect those who are pounded the
Speaker 1: pavement and busting their tail every day to bring the
Speaker 1: content that we talk about well stated. And as I've
Speaker 1: always said, there's nothing wrong with attribution. It's okay, nothing
Speaker 1: wrong with um. So you're from Queens and you know
Speaker 1: you have a program called first Take, and when you're
Speaker 1: from New York City, you're expected to have a take.
Speaker 1: And we're all products of our own environment, and you've
Speaker 1: talked so daringly about your your late mother who sometimes
Speaker 1: would listen to your commentary here and say, oh, Steve
Speaker 1: and said, Mom, that's how I used to watch TV.
Speaker 1: I used to talk about if you're from which to talk, Kansas,
Speaker 1: you might not have evolved into yourself, right, I mean
Speaker 1: they have this maybe not, maybe not, but but it's
Speaker 1: it's I don't view it, believe it or not time.
Speaker 1: I don't view it really as aggressive. I view it
Speaker 1: as excuse me. I might be passionate about it, but
Speaker 1: we'll watching sports. I remember the late Great Commissioner David
Speaker 1: Stern guard wrested soul, was arguing with me about how
Speaker 1: I come across to a TV sometimes. I said to him,
Speaker 1: how do you watch a game when you're home? And
Speaker 1: he said, oh, my goodness, I'm losing my mind. I'm cussing,
Speaker 1: I'm throwing stuff at the TV. My wife is like,
Speaker 1: when you calm down, blah blah blah blah blah. I said, exactly, So,
Speaker 1: what do you think people want to see when they
Speaker 1: watch me talking about sports? Do you think they want
Speaker 1: me to look like I'm reclined in a chair, lounging
Speaker 1: on the beach talking about sports. That's not how you
Speaker 1: do it. You talk about it with a level of passion.
Speaker 1: It's like asking Tom again is to sit up there
Speaker 1: and to be on the radio and to be my
Speaker 1: old man. And when they are spectacular, play takes place,
Speaker 1: a dunk, a three point shot in a crucial moment,
Speaker 1: or whatever they want you to say, a nice shot,
Speaker 1: way to go. No, that's not no, that's not gonna
Speaker 1: resonate with the actual listener. And so I think it's
Speaker 1: important to recognize that even though you're trying to be
Speaker 1: true and authentic, there is a performance element that must
Speaker 1: come into the equation that you're trying to provide to
Speaker 1: the listener or the viewer so they will enjoy seeing
Speaker 1: and or listening to you. That comes with the business
Speaker 1: of what we do. And I think sometimes people forget that,
Speaker 1: no question about it. Well, I'd love to keep going,
Speaker 1: but I fear if we did, we'd go over our time.
Speaker 1: So again, I can't thank you enough so much, appreciate
Speaker 1: all of your work over the years, and happy for you.
Speaker 1: As I said, this is a great time author back
Speaker 1: and you get to commentate on many different situations. Is
Speaker 1: obviously this is big right now. Not as much as
Speaker 1: I've appreciated your work. You've been absolutely outstanding, even a
Speaker 1: voice of the Philadelphia seventy six or for decades, You're
Speaker 1: absolutely phenomenal. You've always been good to me. And when
Speaker 1: they called me and told me that you wanted me here,
Speaker 1: I'm literally on the set of General Hospital or the
Speaker 1: soap opera, and they allowed me to work, that's right.
Speaker 1: And they allowed me to walk off the set just
Speaker 1: to do this interview with you. And I insisted that
Speaker 1: they let me do that because I'm so appreciative of
Speaker 1: all that you've done, just for basketball fans in Philadelphia
Speaker 1: and everyway, anytime anybody gets a chance to listen to you.
Speaker 1: You've been great for years and it's an honor to
Speaker 1: be here talking to you right now. Well, Stephen, thank
Speaker 1: you so much. Is this the character brick? Yes, that's it.
Speaker 1: That is correct. I'm getting ready to tape seeds with
Speaker 1: Sonny Corinthos literally in late ten minutes. That's why I'm
Speaker 1: all right, break elect. Thank you so much. Thanks a
Speaker 1: lot about me taking easy. Thanks for listening to this
Speaker 1: edition of Tom's Talks. Look for new episodes throughout the
Speaker 1: offseason if you like what you're hearing. Consider subscribing to
Speaker 1: the seventy six ers podcast network Feed or giving us
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Speaker 1: to give us a rating. I'm Tom McGuinness, talk to
Speaker 1: you down the road.