Stephen A. Smith Publicly Threatens To 'Expose' Jaylen Brown

Stephen A. Smith is firing back at Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown.

The ESPN "First Take" star was ridiculed by Brown during a recent live stream. Brown is urging Smith, arguably the face of ESPN, to retire.

"My offer still stands," Brown said on Sunday, May 17.

"You want me to be quiet and stop streaming? Well, I want you to be quiet and get off these networks. Because you're not using your platform to do real journalism. You're using your platform to use clickbait."

Smith, unsurprisingly, is not taking the feud well.

Smith is now threatening to "expose" Brown.

The ESPN star issued a public threat on Monday

Smith clapped back during Monday's "First Take" show.

"Jaylen Brown, be careful what you wish for," Smith said. "You really want me to start reporting on that level? You understand? Locker room? How the organization might think about you? How the city may feel about you? How Jayson Tatum may or may not feel about you? Sneaker deals? Endorsement deals? The list goes on and on. The season is over, bro. You on Twitch trying to do what I do and talking about me needing to step away. It makes no sense."

Unfortunately, this is what ESPN's "First Take" has become: the Stephen A. Smith show. Everything revolves around Smith and how he feels about certain players and teams, and how they feel about him.

Smith has become the No. 1 story - rather than the teams, players, etc. that he is supposed to be covering and discussing.

But that is the new world that we live in. You might not like it, but clearly, the numbers back it up in a way that ESPN is choosing to prioritize it. After all, Smith is paid more than most athletes he covers.

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 3:13 PM.