SPECIAL GUEST STEPHEN A. SMITH JOINS THE MARK JACKSON SHOW. |S1 EP3

Welcome to episode 3 of The Mark Jackson Show. In this episode, Mark and Bluu are joined by special guest, Stephen A. Smith. Smith grew up in Hollis, Queens, just a few neighborhoods over from Mark Sr.’s St. Alban’s neighborhood.

Episode 3 addresses several hot topics including, Mark’s coaching future and the reason Mark doesn’t have a coaching job right now. Stephen A. will also talk about his feud with the New Orleans Pelicans and Kwame Brown, plus Cam’ron makes a special appearance.

The dynamic Mark & Bluu father-son duo reveals another side of Mark Sr., showcasing his role as a devoted father and a man grounded in faith and truth. Get ready for captivating stories including one about Stephen A’s college career that was cut short. Don’t miss it, and ask questions in the comments. We just might answer them on a future show.

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[Music] welcome to the Mark Jackson show brought to you by Underdog fantasy be sure to click the link in the description below to participate blue I had to get that out of the way pay some bills because we have a special special guest today a legend from Hollis Queens my brother we go way back Stephen A Smith what’s up baby welcome man good to see you my man good to see you how you doing man did we do all right you did good man you did good I mean you know I mean you know you intro it like you know we were starting off a game you know I mean it’s I tell you you got a lot more energy than you’d be showing at the beginning you know take the first quarter and treat it like it’s the fourth quarter you’d be perfect did you know if I was announcing starting lineup you got to be the last dude to announce I do that I do I do feel that way I do feel that way no question what’s going on bro everything I you have propelled a lot of shows being the first guest our very own Legend and Cam and mace you went on and supported those guys propelled them to Greatness it’s an honor and a privilege to have you here representing the Mark Jackson show like I said we go way back we go way back man and you know listen it’s nothing different than you and other people have done for me you know I’m a little reporter covering high school and colleges ultimately coming to the pros and you know I’m one of those guys I remember man it’s people like yourself Isaiah Thomas and others I walked up to y’all I got a microphone or rather a tape record in my hand I’m a newspaper reporter anytime I needed to talk to you you talk to me you was always guiding me letting me know about the sport of basketball teaching me about what I didn’t know even when you didn’t realize that you were teaching and so I Remember You Kenny Smith Raj Strickland I mean the list goes on and on and on and so you know you pay it forward trying to look out for those on the come up but also reaching back and making sure that you remind folks who did for you that you remembered what they did for you that’s the truth before I ask this question I know I said it before we sat down now yeah I want to say thank you uh just on the record for the love that You’ shown my father over the years um your stance as a man the respect that you’ve garnered in your work field in your career and uh just who you are somebody of your stature speaking up for somebody like my father um has done more than and even words can can uh explain today so I just want to start off by saying I appreciate you your father’s family to me yeah your uncle was family to me I knew brother well you know so I mean it’s like we we go way way way back I didn’t know them like that growing up I knew them from AAR from a distance I used to watch them playing up Park they were playing I was trying to play you see what I’m saying I was trying to play they were actually playing and stuff like this city college you know up there on 45th in Convent AV and the whole bit and you see each other in the neighborhood and stuff like that but once again you know you’re from the neighborhood and stuff and you you see people and kind of relationships you cultivate our relationship grew more and more throughout the years because of the kind of man your F your that has been and has always continued to be not just to me but to many many many others in the industry so I’m I’m proud to call him my brother absolutely we’re GNA call this the OG hour how about that and we’re going to teach the ain’t that old but I got you he’s a rookie he’s a rookie so you got to get donuts and coffee and all that stuff right right we going to call it because he’s going to learn something from this too sure my question to you is growing up in in where we grew up I know this is dear to you and true to you because I I grew up with a mom and a dad yep but Mom was my number one cheerleader that’s right talk to me about the impact that your mother had on your life she was my everything man she passed away in 2017 and you know it’s something that you never get over um but you know she raised me to be strong and to survive without her that’s what she told me in you know in her dying days she just let me know you know you I raised you I ain’t raise you to fold one I’m going you know what you have to do you know what you’re supposed to be doing you know what your responsibilities are but my mother was my biggest cheerleader being in the fourth grade getting left back with a first grade reading level UND undiagnosed dyslexia and struggling in school and whatever kids laughing at you people thinking you were dumb stuff like that having to overcome all those odds my own dad felt that there was no hope I was in the fourth grade my father looked in my father looked my mother dead in the face in the kitchen like he’s a lost cause he’s just not smart he ain’t going nowhere and stuff like that my mother refused to buy into it refused to believe it constantly believing in me and pushing me to be the best that I can be knowing the level of ambition I was going to have when I heard that and um you know she’s you know I I anything that’s good about me I give her all the all the glory and of course the God himself because nobody deserves it more than those two and so I recognize that and I understand it and it’s something that I try to live up to I fall short no doubt from time to time there’s no question about that but you know I I in terms of my heart being in the right place I’ll put myself up there with anybody cuz I really really don’t wish harm or mean harm or whatever ever but I am a guy that tells It Like It Is I’ve always been that kind of person and my mother in my l in her latter years used to be so uncomfortable that I didn’t a West Indian accent I didn’t raise you that way what are you doing that and I would be like Mom I’m in journalism we used to watch TV used to read the newspapers and stuff like that we saw people we saw things we thought they were lying we thought they weren’t telling the truth and I remember when I said if I ever get into this industry the one PE thing people are going to know about me is that when they see or hear me say something they going to know I mean what I say they going to know I’m not faking it unless of course I’m acting on General Hospital or something that’s it that’s brick right that’s brick on for expert for the mob yeah that’s me that’s me I didn’t know you had that ganger time I’m used to the smooth dude rck is totally different I love it man I love it I love how long has it been um I’ve been on General Hospital for the last seven years or so um I showed up made an appearance cuz I’ve been watching the soap since I was 8 years old I’m the youngest of six and I used to to come home and my sisters and everybody if you want to watch TV you had to watch General Hospital if you wasn’t willing to watch General Hospital you had to go do your homework cuz it wasn’t allowed to go outside and play until I had to do my homework so if I’m in the house and if I didn’t want to do my homework I could watch General Hospital and I never wanted to do my homework after I got straight home from school so I would watch in her hospital and it just clicked I’m talking about Luke and Laura Frank Smith and the weather machine the Cass it was crazy it they had it on Loot and I was watching I’m we said this to OG you wouldn’t know you you too young you too young you wouldn’t know any better but I’m telling you it was like it was the joint I mean General Hospital was it and it was since I was 8 years old wow and I’ve been watching it ever since so when they asked me years ago to make a cameo appearance you know show up and then they said it’s not really a cameo we got this character we just want to see you in this role and I did it and the star of the show was like you were fantastic and then the executive producer Frank Valentini came running downstairs he he says do you have time to do this what are you talking about he said with your busy schedule I said I can make time get down I get down out to California periodically he said we want to make this a recurring Road for you and that’s how it happened and I’ve been doing it ever since I I don’t want to glaze over because I mean it’s going to be quite a while with you because you throw nuggets and nuggets and opportunity for people to learn but I don’t want to glaze over the fact what you just gave a nugget because somebody’s sitting there being discouraged feel like no life is being spoken to them right tell me how you felt when you heard the words come out of your father’s mouth speaking against you and your dreams you devastated Devastation feeling defeated um feeling like there was validation of what he was saying that you know I just wasn’t smart and wondering if I was ever going to be somebody and uh you know when when you that age and you growing up in the streets and you know you got drug dealers at every corner and stuff like that Temptations calling you think about putting money in your pocket all a sudden you’re like I’m going lose anyway I’m not you know he doesn’t think much of me anyway you remember that but my mother wasn’t having it my mother was like nah that’s nonsense he’s not he’s not dumb at all and and what have you and she you know her belief in me was what ultimately changed and shifted my emotion from be feeling so stung and so hurt to ultimately becoming defiant and I think that where whatever ambition that I’ve had that I’ve ever been able to point to in my life started from that moment you know for me when he when he doubted me like that and he said those words I held on to it forever I mean it’s what is it it’s it’s almost 50 years later I remember like it was yesterday and I remember where I was standing on the back porch I remember looking through that that window connecting the kitchen from the back porch I remember the look on his face when he said it to my mother I remember how a gast my mother looked when she turned around and noticed that I had seen and heard him say what he said and I remember the level of indifference and just aloofness towards that he had towards me like yeah I said it he didn’t say that but that was the look that he put on his face yeah I said it and I meant and turned his back and walked away from that moment forward man my level of determination and anything that I’ve elected to do you know I just I don’t know how to say it other than to say I don’t stop I I just don’t stop it’s like I’m on my grind it’s constant and it’s a voice that I hear in my head every day how did that make you a better man and a better father well it was easy for me to be a better man because I didn’t think much of him as a man um I knew he was my father I knew I had love for him but my thing is and I was always different from my sisters and and again you sort of knew it when you were younger but it reached fruition later on on in life it was crystallizing your brain the infidelity the womanizing the drinking the smoking the gambling and all of this other stuff but there was so many times when my mother was just grinding and grinding and having to work and she was never home because she was putting in 16 hours a day seven days a week she was working at Queen’s General Hospital right down the block from your Alama to St John’s and then right down the block from there going from across the general Queen General Hospital this is the Grand Central Park where as you well know Queen General Hospital is on this side going towards junor turnpike and stuff like that Parson’s Boulevard and all of that stuff is on this side so Queen General hospitals where she was working during the day and then now in the evening time from 5:00 on till damn near midnight she was working at the nursing home about a half mile down the block Crossing going across Grand Central Parkway towards Parson’s Boulevard and um she was doing that and we was like why she got to do all this why she got to do all of this and then it didn’t take long for us to learn is because she had to pay the bills cuz he wasn’t doing it and so for me it was like okay I got to be the man of the house I got to make sure that I’m I’m going to be successful in school I got to make sure that I do something that makes the success out of my life so my mother doesn’t have to do what she’s doing and my mother you know God bless her she was like don’t think for one second that I want you out there doing something illegal it’s not going to fly with me you’re not going to be welcomed in this home and again in her West End accent she’d be like you going to jail she said she says she said you’re going to I Will Never visit you I will never visit you you know and she would say stuff like that all the time and I’m like all right Mom all right all right all right and I would just fly straight and then from that day forward I was just on my grind and determined to overcome whatever maladies I had with reading deficiencies and stuff like that next to a neighbor by the name of tier along with my sister Linda literally taught me how to read and write and that’s how I was able to overcome what I overcame that’s the beautiful part is your dad made made a statement totally out of line but in this statement was some truth you owned that truth and flourished out of it yeah well I mean listen he was you know he wasn’t saying it to challenge me but ultimately it was the ultimate Challenge because I had to validate my mother’s belief in me um and I also had to put myself in a position where I was going to be successful my brother had left when he was 17 to join the armed services went to the Army um so he got the hell out of there as soon as he possibly could I was the only Bor in the house with my four older sisters and I just had to make sure that prioritizing making something of myself so my vision was clear and you know even though I would be on the basketball court playing and all of this other stuff in the end the thing that I feared most was somebody calling me a dummy and being right so I went about the business of educating myself every single day even to this day when people talk about my vocabulary if there’s a word that I’m reading and I don’t understand it to this day I’ll grab the dictionary and I’ll look the word up and I’ll look at the context in which it’s used and then I’ll memorize that and how it’s been used to elevate my vocabulary I do that to this very day and it started the day I heard that from him in the kitchen wow that’s awesome one of my greatest accomplishments achievements was being able to buy my mom and dad a house when I made it retire my mom right how did that feeling come when when your time came to take care of mine well unfortunately for me it came too late in 2005 when ESPN gave me the show quite frankly on ESPN 2 I was paid $1.3 million and so after taxes cut it in half like 675 whatever it is you know and so I’m sitting there like okay it’s still a pretty penny um it’s more than I ever thought I would make and I remember it was in April of 2005 I signed a contract like 3:30 in the afternoon it was at the ABC building on 66 in Columbus and I got my car and I drove straight to Queens to the pal on2 200th and 112000 absolutely that’s right right down the block from you and my mother was working in it she had retired by this time but she was still living off her pension and because she didn’t want to blow everything there she would work at the palal with Bingo nights and all of this other stuff and she was working there like five six days AEK week just to save money to go on vacation and stuff like that and I drove there and I grabbed her and the person running the center was looking at her and I said my mother won’t be back she won’t be working here no more and I drove her home and she’s like what you doing told her about the contract and I pulled out of my pocket it was a two we cruise through Europe and I said go and enjoy your life I got it from here and so that was the best that I could do at that moment and then and in 2018 was when I got my big contract from ESPN and that was bit of sweet because she had passed away a year earlier and that money was the money that I could have got her house in St Thomas you got a house anywhere a couple houses you know I’m saying I mean it was I mean she was she would have been straight you know and so it was It was kind of sad and my sisters was like it’s amazing how when you got siblings and there’s a connection like I’m cool with all of my sisters but my sister kmen and I are especially close she’s my young even though I’m the youngest of six she’s my youngest sister about she’s four years older than me and she just everybody was celebrating you know I went home and signed a contract and my sister looked at me and she was like she just grabbed me and pulled me outside cuz she knew what I was feeling and I was like man you know Mom is supposed to be here for this cuz what I would have done was I would have gotten on the plane flew straight to St Thomas and I would have bought property in St Thomas then I would have flew home and I would have said it’s a rrap you leaving Hollis right now it’s time for you to go back home and enjoy the rest of your life that was my dream and that was something I wasn’t able to fulfill because she passed away a year earlier with her accent because you do a great impersonation how would she have thanked you she she she like what are you doing what are you doing wa where are we going why what do you what what do you need what what are we doing here and then I would have took she’s like what are you doing that for that’s too much money you don’t need you don’t need to spend all of that money I didn’t raise you that way and then I would she would have read the news even though they never get it right but she would have read the news about approximately what I would have been earning and then she would have been like okay that’s what she would have done so that’s now is is that fost and Lori PL that she worked at say what fost and Lori the P yes that’s in the neighborhood I didn’t know your mom’s work there 112 and two 112 Avenue in T Street that’s where I went to Pal all the time that’s unbelievable that’s right we used to go there we used to go there in the winter time and in the winter time and the summertime we didn’t bother because we’d go to Alcan park that’s right we’d go between OKC Park Jamaica Park a lot of us was at 192 but that was only half court they didn’t have full court in hollers they had the full court in Jamaica and okano park and that’s where we would go okano park that’s right the legendary Park where I grew up dreaming talk about the runs and the and the type of on a regular day how we would experience the competition here’s the deal that you had to it wasn’t as crazy back then as it is now unfortunately uh with what we see now but listen man you runs were serious because if you lost you had to wait hours before you got back on the court because I mean you wasn’t it it was like that you know all right I got my crew I got my five you got your five you had about a lot about 20 different teams waiting to go next and if you didn’t handle your business and you lost you might as well want go home or go to a different park because you wasn’t going to do it everybody playing against you a going to win Bo Harvey would show up there sometimes you know he was a bad brother right there we knew what he was going to do he started Jackson ultimately went to St John’s for a little bit the whole bit but most of the time you know we travel you know him he was you know he was wreaking havoc throughout the city so everybody knew him some of us who could Ball but not nearly as good we go to Staten Island we go to West forth we go to 135th and um um you know with Malcolm X Boulevard now we go all over the place and stuff like that but I’m telling you it was the runs and queens was nice no doubt about that it’s just that I I I only won at okano like twice you won more than twice two times I won about two times bro I W about two cuz you know why because my boys that could play they never ever wanted to go there they always wanted to stay there lazy behinds and holl or go to Jamaica because the Honeys was over in Jamaica so they wanted to go to Jamaica you had the lights too that’s right we had the lights but I was like I was like wait a minute now some Honeys in inano too cuz that that’s right came be H that’s on the way you I don’t know what y’all missing you know saying they they weren’t trying to hear it and they didn’t want to go over there and so I had to just get anybody once I got there and I lost I won twice twice I won twice I’m talking about full court five on five there’s a lot of half court games went on but full court I only won twice two times at OK the competition was incredible no doubt and you had to have game I remember being young my brother make the shot to pick the teams dude picked four Dudes and left me off every time he’s like I got you next I got you never I like I got toep my own brother didn’t pick me that’s right that’s right that’s how serious the Run was exactly it was no family loyalty none of that you know look best player who going to help me stay on the court today until I’m ready to leave and then you pick a squad if you really wanted if you really wanted to leave eventually you be like he could go you get somebody else stuff knowing you probably going to lose but you didn’t want to quit so you just say all right I can lose this game and go on I’m soaking it up man you looking at me this is OG hour I’m learning everything I can I see you brush on the area but it was serious yeah the the uh Temptations dice game on one side doubt drugs on the other guys up to no good on one side how was you able to handle it and say no to it believe it or not man it was like um first of all I knew everybody from both sides you know I’ve never been one obviously you do the crime you got to do the time and I got that part but when you looked at the circumstances some people were dealing with they weren’t blessed to have my mom they weren’t blessed to have my sisters you know you have some cats that’s in Hollis and and Murdoch and Cambria and you know all the surrounding areas Jamaica and everywhere else and holl you know all they had was themselves and you had people didn’t realize that you had you know some of the you know the grown-ups they were they were drug addicts they you know they were committing crimes they were doing all types of stuff and people didn’t take that into consideration and so one of the good one of the things that I was very big about I wasn’t judg I might not want to be involved in some stuff I might not want to be near it but I didn’t judge you for it the only time I’ve ever been judgmental believe it or not with anybody is when they harmed other people like when you know you you you like you literally you killing somebody you assaulted somebody something like that nah I didn’t want to mess with you I didn’t want you around me at all but if you were in that game I mean listen for me growing up in Hollis I’m going tell you where I was most indebted and I wrote this in my book straight shooter you know I New York Times best seller by the way thank you very much I was like yo the drug dealers saved my life I mean I would come up in there I would go in the park and the only street light the only light in the park was the street light right across the street on 204 Street in Hollis Avenue and the light emanating from that corner right by the library would beam into the park and that’s the only way you could see so I used to shoot like two 300 jump shots a night when that was the only light in there which is how I improve my jump shot but I was the only one that the dealers allowed to stay in the park because that’s where they was doing their thing and they would be like all right we ain’t going to do it until this time and you know the cats that were running things would instruct all of them leave him alone don’t bother let him do his thing and so they would let me sit out there and practice and shoot until it was time for them to start doing their thing then they would be like little man you got to go home and then I will go home from there they didn’t have to do that and so and then you had other cats that try to get you they try to recruit you and get you involved first they G to start out by coming to you telling you to stand on the corner do be on the lookout you know watch for 5 all of that other stuff other times they would come to you and they probably give you a nickel bag or whatever at the time and it be telling you go ahead and do this or that those dealers wasn’t having that I was not to be touched I was not to be messed with I was not to be influenced leave him alone because they always View me as they told me they told they said I was militant even back then they were like you going you going to fight for us one day talking about black folks overall period it were like you going to be you going to do something where you fighting on our behalf they didn’t know whether I was going to be a lawyer I was going to be in the media but they knew I was going to do something and they they look like he is not to be touched and nobody bothered me because of that so I always give those cats those props because I remember this and I’ve said this on many many occasions to people if you know if you truly truly know anything about the streets real hardcore Street Cats despise wannabes now they understand there’s certain cats that are caught up and they just got to do what they got to do but if you have an opportunity to be something greater and you don’t take advantage of it they have no respect for you because you choosing this when you don’t have to they like in their eyes we have to do this to survive you don’t you just trying to be something you not and they don’t respect it it’s like my whole point is you can see a lot of Hardcore cats or trying guys trying to be hardcore and I’d look at them be like I get more respect than you because I know my Lane I know I’m not that and I’m not trying to be that and they respect that rather than you trying to be a part of the game you know you got no business being a part of and I was never that guy and they always respected that well the the guys that made it professional athletes we watch them try to be gangsters stupid stupid and the gangsters can’t stand them right they just use them cuz they’re like what’s wrong with you what’s what what is what is wrong with you you know I mean some of the cats that I grew up with I mean look I I I grew up with a couple listen half my friends are dead you know another quarter of them was in and out of jail and a quarter of them was legit all right and God Rest their souls the ones that are gone and the ones that are in jail had to go to jail whatever it’s it’s a few dudes that did eight in the third if not more that I grew up with listen I know them to this very day now I got love for them because of what they meant to me you need tickets to a game I got you you I’m saying you need something I got you but you can’t hang with me right because we live in two different worlds and I can’t bring you into my world you understand that cannot happen I grew up with you I know you I’m never going to disrespect you like acting like I don’t know you that would break their heart that make them want to kill you and they should because it’s like damn you shouldn’t not saying they should want to kill somebody but you know to grow up with you and for you to act like you don’t know them that’s problematic that’s very insulting because you got to remember these cats have gone through a lot and yeah they’ve made a lot of wrong decisions or whatever but they’ve gone through a lot of things and to know what they’ve gone through it means the world to them for somebody to be where I’m sitting right now and for me to just acknowledge them to see him and give him a hug how you doing everything’s all right you good it’s no problem that’s all you have to do don’t be disrespectful and dismiss submissive of them but in the same breath that don’t mean we can hang together that don’t mean I’m going to bring you into my world it doesn’t mean that I’m going to subject you to that kind of thing because you made decisions that you can’t come back from in that regard and I’m never going to associate myself with that if I would have I would have done it when I was younger and these are guys these aren’t madeup stories CU we we we’re both from the same neighborhood yes so people that we’re very familiar with very that uh that supported us and made your hands off when it comes to those guys or those individuals because they spot Talent they spot people that’s living for a purpose and a dream yep and uh shout out to those guys that covered us absolutely and it could have went the other way it could have went the other way we could have went the other way if it were not for them and that’s why I’m not I’m I’m Unapologetic when it comes to me saying listen I don’t see them I don’t hang with them don’t really talk to them it’s very very rare but I will always have love for those brothers that preserved my life I wouldn’t be where I am today if they didn’t put the heavy hand down to make sure I was shielded from all of that even if it meant putting the heavy hand on me to make sure I didn’t choose to go that route they made sure of it and they saved me from a dead end life all the things you do going back to the community to show love and support depositing back into that scholarships money you’ve raised and the money you’ve given talk about that how important that is I went to an HBCU when this salm State University uh Clarence big house gains legendary coach what have you and uh his mentor was John B McClendon who learned the game under the great James naay Smith invented the fast break and all of this other stuff and um he used to be a numerous practices when I was at Winston Salem State and these guys would teach me about life and talk to me about some of the trials and tribulations they had to endure highlighting for me what real racism looked like what real obstacles looked like what real bigotry looked like etc etc and how you got to maneuver your way through those mind fields in order to get to where you want to go and when they would when they would impart their words of wisdom upon me they never asked for anything other than for me to remember what they did for me and in any way that I could to uplift HBCU it’s all they cared about historically black colleges and universities matter it matters to our community it mattered so much more even back in the day it still matters to this day don’t forget your own and do what you can to elevate and build notoriety for HBCU throughout this country so we’re making sure that as many of the disenfranchised from our communities as there may be that there’s always an outlet of opportunity for them just like we provideed that for you and so I made a promise to both of them and to coach gain specifically face to face many many years ago and um I just hold on to that promise that I made and I make sure that I try to live up to it to the best of my ability so I’ve been fortunate enough where I’ve worked with HBCU week and this woman by wonderful woman by the name of Ashley Christopher mayor piki in the state of Delaware um in Wilmington Delaware and uh Senator uh that he’s a senator democratic senator from Delaware he’s done a tremendous job in assisting us and we’ve raised in excess of $70 million for over 12,000 students so we’re going to keep it going and you actually took first take to to HBC right yes I did I took first take there uh ESPN give them a lot of credit for that they didn’t have to do that but Dave Roberts and you know John Skipper at the time was the boss you know along with Mr Iger Bob Iger for Disney they all gave the okay uh for me to take the show to Delaware where Magic Johnson and Troy Vincent the executive VP of the NFL they both showed up as guest as in-person guest so that was a very very big deal and then after that Disney got entrenched in it even more Disney on the yard became associated with it in a very very big way and we ultimately went down to Orlando and did the show from there as well and uh I think there’s a lot of opportunities for us in the future to do it and then just just a few months ago once I brought Shannon sharp on board for first take um we took it to his Alma M he was like the one thing I would love is if you could take the show to my alma ma he didn’t know I was going to be able to do it or not and I surprised him and I got us to take the show to Savannah State his Alma Ma and then the next day we went to my m at Winston salm State y’all had two parties though y’all were jamming both both those yeah we had a good time we had a good time no doubt you got some fresh breaking news to give to the Mark Jackson show on a new deal you just signed streets are talking we do our homework here I just did a deal with iHeart uh radio I mean I already got my own YouTube channel and um but in terms of an audio component I reached the deal with iHeart so you know they’re the they’re the top podcast distributor throughout the throughout the country if not the world and you know they’re doing big things obviously and so I’m going to be working in concert with them on the audio side I still got the Stephen A Smith show on my on my own channel on YouTube and so that’s good and that’s really percolating I’m picking up thousands of subscribers per day so that’s really good but the biggest thing for me is that I own and operated myself it’s not associated with ESPN or Disney or anybody else it’s owned and operated by me and so that was something that was incredibly important to me anybody that’s worked for Disney knows how those employee contracts look you don’t get that every day um but I was fortunate that the bosses was listen to me when they they knew and that I insisted that that was something that I wanted to do and In fairness to them they kept their word because you know they told me it was something that they were willing to do before I agreed to my contract it wasn’t a part of my contract at the time but even after I signed my contract and they had me debt to wrs and writing they remember that they gave me their word and they kept their word and so I’m appreciative of that well congratulations to you and salute for all you do yeah representing us and moving the the needle forward you know it that’s the goal going back to what you guys were talking about before growing up I know you said the people in your neighborhood could tell there was something different about you could tell that you would make an impact one day yeah at what age did you realize I have a gift to communicate or or a gift of G well my mother said that came out of the womb talking she said I didn’t have to wait that’s what she says um but you know it was a combination of a lot of things my mother was very very religious she was an Episcopalian um and I used to go to church and I used to listen to the sermons and I was bored to death but it wasn’t with the word it was their delivery of the word and so I’ve always been somebody that paid wrapped attention to you know just how people spoke and how people were able to Galvanize an audience get an audience to listen to them so that was one thing but the other thing for me was that I grew up around a bunch of Muslims too bunch of black Muslims uh you know I remember the insar law community in Brooklyn New York I knew a bunch of Brothers uh that was really really into that and they would go over there on Bushwick Avenue and stuff like that for me it wasn’t about religion it was about black empowerment and so I used to listen to that in the church and sometimes it was a challenge because from a Biblical perspective you’re looking at things and you’re looking at it one way and give peace a chance and that’s the mentality and peace and tranquility and love for all and on the other hand you’re thinking about this and you’re thinking about the streets and you’re thinking about the battles that you’re going to have to fight you’re thinking about White America you’re thinking about how they’ll pigeon hole and marginalize you in the champ challenges that you have to partake how are you going to overcome this so I used to listen on all of it you know and then it it would go to another level because I’m talking about me I’m in sixth grade or whatever and I’m watching Nightline I’m Watching Ted C I’m watching Peter Jennings it’s six o’clock you know as I became a teenager and stuff like that I’m looking at the Sunday shows Meet the Press and all of these other shows and stuff like that and then I’m reading Malcolm next you know the biography and then I’m thinking about that and and I’m thinking about him by any means necessary whereas that wasn’t necessarily the approach that Martin Luther King had because he preached about nonviolence and it was that constant tug-of W all the time well what it did was make me alert and cognizant and politically conscientious about what was going on around me so why other people were playing in the park and stuff like that and then they would sit up there and they would go like you know violence would take place and all right that just comes with it I would try to analyze why you know if I’m sitting up there yeah you you know you pull out a gun you pointed at the cop he need to take you out you know say but if you unarmed what he pull out his gun for what he do it for you know all right you you sit up here this person was fighting you and swinging at you and that’s why you threw that person to the ground this person threw up their hands did gave no resistance whatsoever but you still treated them that way why I would think about stuff like that I would think think about my fifth grade teacher Mrs mchu I’ll never forget as long as I live they put me in detention put the whole class in detention and I was so disgusted that the detention teacher I just looked at them when I looked at I looked at the detention teacher like that Mrs McHugh saw me look at her like that literally grab because I had a Michael Jackson afro and literally grabb me by my Afro how dare you look at her like and Swinging my head around something you can never get away with in this day and age and I’m thinking about that like this woman put her hands on me this white woman put her hands on me and I go home and I told my mother and my mother’s like what did you do like what like what did you do she didn’t do it for no reason you you must have done something and my mother I would lat I would learn later on in life it wasn’t about the teacher it was about my mother teaching me to accept accountability for my role in anything while also teaching me life ain’t always fair and you can’t be caught up in what’s fair and unfair because you’ll never get ahead if all you’re focused on is the unfairness of things it doesn’t work that way and I think that strengthened me in my latter years but I didn’t realize it at the time what’s happening man how you doing man everything good it’s always good I’m with the fellas man it’s all good you know how I am I can’t stop smiling man this makes me happy man no I just want to chime in and tell you big both y’all guys my big brothers thank you Stephen A for stopping by uh Mark congratulations on everything you doing it’s a privilege and an honor for you giving me a chance to partner up with you as I explained so many times but I just wanted to tap in and tell you guys both you I love you guys and thank you so much man it’s just great to watch it and Especially You Stephen A for because you and Mark have your own relationship but for you to stop by my show maybe about seven to eight episodes in and give me some credibility to what I’m trying to do out here it meant a lot to me and nobody I know I think it’s you and Michael straan neck forneck who works harder I I just want to tell both you thank you and I’m not here to interrupt anything like that just congratulations to you Mark and big shout out to you Stephen I just want to tell you guys thank you all the best man you know I love you man you guys doing a great job man been working hard and and doing your thing man so just keep on grinding and know the the higher you climb they gonna be coming for you do back dial it back at that particular moment in time because in this day and age they trying to bait you that’s all it is they trying to bait you they trying to bait you don’t fall for the bait because that’s all they trying to do so much thank you so much one thing before I get out of here what’s going on with you with you in the Pelicans Stephen A what’s happening man Brothers these brother well first of all first of all I’m sitting there going like this you know they keep talking about I average one and a half points in college it’s actually less I didn’t play I cracked my kneecap in half the second I got there I mean what are you talking about so that’s number one but number two it’s like I’m looking at the Pelicans and I’m like you talking about me I’m 56 years old this is the 80s meanwhile you’ve been an existence for 22 years you got two names you were the Hornets and now you’re the Pelicans what number does that have in common with that’s the amount of playoff series You’ve Won in 22 years two you got just as many names as you got playoff series wins you got one division title in 22 years you ain’t never been to a Conference Finals you ain’t never been to NBA Finals but you focused on Stephen A and by the way since they open their mouth they’ve lost every game they’ve lost every game since they open their mouth about it so it’s like I’m sitting there I’m sitting there looking at them like this is your damn problem you ain’t focused on the wrong things you were you ain’t focused on the right things at the end of the day I got a basketball scholarship it paid for my education which facilitated me being at the top of my game in this industry that’s where I’m living where y’all living that’s what I’m about that’s what it’s about and what I tell them is this and not not nowhere near Sports uh analyst because I’m still brand new to this but when it came to music and somebody that was in a certain field used to say something about the field I was in I said I’m a allar I’m a superstar in my field I sold I sold 20 million records total so at my craft I’m the best at what I’m doing and your craft are you the best of what you’re doing and obviously you are so that’s I’m just giving you some more ammo when somebody try to come back at you in my field I’m at the top of what I’m doing right how about you what are you doing in your field are you at the top of what you’re doing until further notice get back to exactly that’s it that’s all but but also I let them say it I let them show whatever they want to show they going to show a v I’m in a shirt and tie James Harden let me shoot without warming up I shoot a air ball they going to show that from 12 years ago I’m like look I said is that what you got go ahead and then you got this damn quame Brown talking and I’m sitting there like you talking about us talking about black people all you do is talking about black people you going off about black people every day I ain’t never talk about you personally I ain’t never talk about your family I ain’t never talk about you I never would do that all I said was on the NBA level you you couldn’t play now I don’t know anyone on the planet who would tell me that I’m wrong about what I said now that was years ago so it’s like I’m sorry I don’t mean to be I’m like I apologize bro I’m sorry for telling the truth at the time my bad I didn’t mean it I didn’t mean it to haunt you 15 years later it’s okay I wish you nothing but the best but every time I turn around the brother keep talking about me so I said I guess I I guess that’s going to get you clicks so go ahead and get them got you I didn’t mean to interrupt guys I’m GNA let you get back to what you doing I just want to shout both of you out man and y’all enjoy the rest yard after appreciate you anytime bro no doubt thank you all right love I gotta say though kwami Brown played for me with the Golden State Warriors and was very good as a backup center and a starting center when we had no big so great screen Setter Great diver and a and a professional so thank you for telling me that the experience I had with him was I won’t deny that I was just saying that at the time in 2007 I said I didn’t know Twitter didn’t exist I didn’t know that this was going to become a meme and 15 16 years later people was going to be I would have never done it so you know listen we all make mistakes in life at the end of the day I wish I wouldn’t have spoken about him that way I’ve apologized for it but in the same breath it’s like you either going to forgive or you’re not going to forgive but if that’s the way that you’re going to be that’s fine and it’s it’s life anyway so as you sit here Mark let me ask you this question as you sit here and you think about all the things that you’ve accomplished in your career what are you aiming to do now I know you’re doing this podcast or whatever but but there’s always a bigger picture for you what are you aiming to do now that’s a great question and I’m loving what I’m doing right now spending a lot of time at home being around my family my brand new grandson 8 months old it’s a great thing um there is a side of me obviously that still wants to coach I still have unfinished business whether that’s professional rank a college rank but I want a coach I want to lead men and Inspire men and finish the job that I started uh so I look forward to that opportunity and um that’s the next thing for where I don’t know but it will happen and I’m excited about the opportunity why do you believe as we sit here today so many of us myself included have speculated as to why you haven’t gotten another head coaching job since you departed from the Golden State Warriors why do you believe you have not been hired as a head coach in the NBA all of these years considering the success you had before you departed from Golden State I will tell you I’m not connected and one thing I respect about you is your book’s called straight shooter I can remember having lunch with you last year and you said we were just talking about somebody else and you said if you got a problem with me me just tell me tell me you got a problem with me be straight with me and then we could deal with it and I’m sitting there like this dude just finished saying something on first take on one of those shows that I know was wrong do I want to bring it up to him or not and in the million years I would never bring it up I just let it die because we still cooling it ain’t it ain’t it ain’t bother me right but something said tell them and I sat there at the table with you and I said I I got one thing you said something uh the other day that wasn’t true and then we talked about it and then you said it wasn’t offensive didn’t be in in attack mode you said you know what I’mma fix it and it wasn’t like the thing I respect most first of all you took it you owned it you acknowledged it and then you corrected it the thing I love most is when you first said it you were speaking the truth even though we was boys and even though it didn’t benefit me for you to say it you were still speaking the truth we don’t have that in today’s world of covering right I can remember calling a particular well-known reporter when he wrote a story that was 1,00% inaccurate I told him it was wrong I know he knew it was wrong and I asked him why did he write it I said old school even though that’s your guy you stay away from the story if I got to write it I got to write the truth that’s right have not spoken to that man since right and we’ve worked together and there’s no issue I’m ain’t got to worry about me doing that’s not who I am but I just know who you are I respect the fact that you tell the truth whatever the truth is I don’t mean you you can’t be wrong right but in today’s world I can write a story about a coach that’s under 500 and make him seem like he’s a genius to put him in position to get another job no as opposed to you can write my story and I’m not connected and say I had nothing to do with and I was bad when the evidence speaks against it so I think that has something to do with it well for me I’ll tell you this perfect example of that would be Doc Rivers today Doc Rivers is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks I’ve been friends with Doc Rivers for over 25 years I looked right into the camera and I said this is it right or wrong maybe not this year because you R halfway through the season but if you don’t win by next season I don’t think Doc Rivers will ever be a head coach in the NBA again I said that to him to his face as well as on TV he knows I’m not wishing it for him but in covering the sport you have a job to do and one of the things that you know speaking on a macro level that I’m very big about is and I used to say this to Kobe Bryant D Wade and various others especially to Allan iers I will never say something public find out and discover I’m wrong because it’s R I’m wrong it’s not I’m not perfect but it’s Ray I’m wrong but I would never say something public that was wrong and oh I’m corrected privately no I said it wrong publicly I’m going to go out publicly and say I was wrong because the goal shouldn’t be trying to save face the goal should be trying to be fair and accurate that’s our responsibility and the other thing is is that and this is one of the things that I stand on on many occasions I’ve had plenty of dudes despise me hated my guts and you know what I’ve always said to folks those are the people that don’t talk to me the people who talk to me don’t feel that way about me cuz if you talk to me you’re going to know I’m going to be fair and you’re going to know that I will throw myself on a sword before I try to hold on to my pride and living a lie I’m not going to do that to anybody and there’s no player there’s no coach there’s no executive there’s no owner there’s no one that could ever look at me and say he had an agenda of wishing that I failed I don’t want anybody body to fail I’m one of those people that there’s room for everybody to get something at this you don’t want look at our society look at the world that we living in right now you know what the real problem is you got cats that don’t have much and you have another race of folks that think that we we’re losing everything so you got you got black folks and minorities in this country that are struggling because you’re only as great as your weakest link and then you have a white populace that once were dominant because they were about 87 to 90% of population they’ve now dwindled down to 60% they’re looking at open borders and things of this nature and they’re saying what about us what about us we’re losing our power and stuff like that and you got problems going on because people are worried about themselves but when you really really are great as a team as a people as a nation it’s when you think Beyond you for the greater good and in what I do for my career and for my business the greater good is making sure that under no circumstance aners can anybody look at me and say he’s unfair and he’s inhumane and he doesn’t care about how other people that’s why I would apologize you know it could beq BR it could be anybody if I’m wrong in any way I’m sorry what you want me to do correct it but if I’m right you got to own that too and that’s what I try to live by I guess my question to you turning that same thing back would be why do you think I don’t have a head coaching job well I thought it was what I thought it was cuz I was told and then you told me I was wrong um but the fact that you don’t have um connections make sense but it’s more broader than that I think that the age of basketball has move to analytics and let me tell you why that’s so important when you think about analytics think MIT think institutions like that now think about an owner most owners don’t know the sport that they own that they own a team in they know a little bit about it but they don’t know nearly as much as they think they do who enables them to think they’re more knowledgeable than ever the analytics dudes because analytics is about numbers and if the owners don’t understand nothing else they understand numbers because they’re the ones paying the bills they’re the ones writing the check so if I’m an owner and I find somebody that speaks my lingo my language my verbiage then that’s the person I want well that person that I want that’s associated with analytics who are they hiring they’re hiring folks of their elk excuse me and they’re surrounding themselves with that and because of that that leaves former players basketball Minds with that sixth sense that third eye out of the mix it’s not just because it’s not a matter of you knowing analytics or not it’s about you not being a part of the culture they’re not they are a part of then you combine that with your knowledge and your knowhow to debunk some of the theories they might try to throw in your direction not to mention the control they may try to exercise who you going to play when you going to play them how many minutes are you going to play them who you going to be in a rotation with all of these different things they’re going to be averse to leaning on you and trusting you because you may have power and Dominion that they don’t want you to have they want it for themselves and that’s how they’re able to be in these situations I personally believe that has a lot to do with you not having a head coaching job right now and it makes sense but I’ll say to you you cannot be part of a team that went to the playoffs one time in 19 years turn it around go two times in three years win 50 plus games win a playoff series and Propel a team to four NBA championships having a little to do with it you can’t do that without analytics you can’t turn a team that historically was awful defensively and turn them to a top three defensive team in the league without analytics so it’s not ignoring it it’s it’s it’s about putting it in its prop but I’m not implying that you did I’m saying to you that the people that are put in these positions of power correct they come from a certain environment and that environment they hire their own they hire people that went to school with them they hir the connections you know a lot of we call it nepotism it’s a lot of that going on and so that’s what I’m saying it’s not questioning it’s not Pat Riley was using analytics in the 90s absolutely he Jimmy Jackson told me that Pat analytics in the 90s but Pat Riley had the power ultimately got the power once he departed from the New York Knicks and he had the Miami Heat and you think about the Riley culture and nobody talks about the analytics even though he was been utilizing it you you will are utilizing it a lot of people didn’t talk about that we see that why because the people in position they don’t want to popularize and promote and project that they want to act like others are distant and apart other than the people they handpick to be in the roles they want them to be in and I think that’s a huge problem couple of things before we get out of here orange and blue skies yeah how far the New York next going to go well with a healthy Julius Randall oan noi and Mitchell Robinson back in the lineup I think the New York Knicks going to the Conference Finals without them they ain’t getting out of the second round might not even get out of the first round because I think that Julius Randle is that important to them I think it’s a lot to ask for Jaylen Brunson to carry that stuff on his shoulders even though I will say I love the bogdanovich pickup love that Burks being your reserve guard because I know that Bido is going to use him instead of running Jaylen Brunson into the ground because he’s a familiar guard that played under tho before and I think that that would bold well for them but I still think you need Julius Randall to get to the Conference Finals who’s your favorite to go to the finals in the east and west who do you have winning at all I got Boston in the East um I don’t like what I’ve seen from the Clippers as of late I think Denver you have to go with Denver um I think Minnesota can give them a run for their money but I don’t think they’re good enough offensively I think Oklahoma City could give them a run for their money but they don’t have enough girth and they have no answers zero answer for joic um and because of that I think that’s problematic I don’t think Phoenix is good enough defensively I don’t think Lakers shoot the ball well enough I think that Dallas is score in bunches on anybody I’m not sold on them defensively uh Sacramento they’re just not there sa bonus has good nights bad nights but I saw him in the playoffs last year I’m not sold um so and golden state is just entirely too small so I think that I would have to say I hope this is not the case cuz I don’t feel like going back to Denver I would prefer not to be in a mile high City in June um but if I had to pick between uh the you know the conference it would be Boston and Denver now I don’t deserve this kind of Cruelty because I love me some Damen Lillard Dame dollar all day every day and I think that as the season progresses he’s going to work his way out of his slump as he has been doing the last two games and I think that he’s going to remind us of who he is but I’m a decent human being I love the Lord and I try to be a decent man I don’t deserve to be Milwaukee and Denver in June I deserve better than that I don’t deserve to be confined to those two cities for an NBA Finals it’s bad enough Adam Silva has had me in Cleveland Utah and Indianapolis the last three years for Allstar Weekend to give me a Denver Milwaukee finals that would hurt my heart I I don’t deserve that give me Boston it’s close enough to New York I can I can fly they on game days okay leave me alone let me have a decent City or two to go to for the finals that’s all I ask my dream scenario is La Miami but that only happened in the bubble go figure you look like the type of guy that enjoys Miami you’ve said it a million times I do I do it’s very nice Miami has been very very good to me come back to us come back to us yes I’m back I’m back Prime 12 real quick yes he did yeah that too that too that too who’s the MVP as we speak and sit here today believe it or not I think it’s Jason Tatum I think that um listen yic is phenomenal and we know this but when you look at Jason Tatum he’s the best player on the best team he’s averaging 27 a night his teammate is making $34 million and this brother is just on this kind of mission and they’re six games better than anybody else in the NBA and so I look at it from that standpoint at least five games better actually it had a four game lead on Minnesota Minnesota lost one they won so it’s probably around five games but I’m looking at Boston and I’m like they’re jacking up too many threes that makes me uncomfortable but they seem Unstoppable offensively and Tatum and brown are something to behold um I got Shay Gil just Alexander as my runner up for MVP right now and he’s closing in I mean to have 41 games this year already um where you scored over 30 with about 24 25 games to go I can’t say enough about Shay Gil just Alexander this brother is a he’s a special special player Anthony Edwards I would say that but yic has been creeping up on him so I get that but I had embiid by a mile ahead of everybody before he went down I’ve been thinking about this for a week now I remember in the big I’m a big sports fan so baseball I remember when they made the case that Ted Williams was the greatest living baseball player uh when they had the All-Star game so I’ve been thinking a week and I put together the top five living basketball players today day what do you mean living you mean presently playing or presly alive I’m starting with Michael Jordan okay alive thank you definitely so Michael Jordan for me so let me let me know let me know if you disagree Michael Jordan Magic Johnson in no particular order Michael Jordan Magic Johnson LeBron James karimu jabal and Larry Bird wow okay um Kareem Michael Jordan LeBron James def defitely um going to leave Tim Duncan out who you going to knock off my list you know feel free blue let me tell you let me say this to you you have Magic Johnson right Magic Michael Larry LeBron and Kareem so I got magic I’m sorry I got Michael Jordan LeBron James Kareem Abdu Jabar those are my top three let me tell you where it gets a little dicey you talk about Larry Bird okay I can think about that you said living okay I can think about Larry Bird I can think about Tim Duncan instead of Larry Bird um but I would prefer Larry Bird because of that La rign sniper mentality okay so that’s four here’s where it gets tricky and you’re the perfect person to talk to about this I think that Magic Johnson is the greatest Quint essential point guard in the history of basketball a time champion won a champion as a rookie played center in that game six 42 and 15 we know what he did to Carwell Jones and Daryl Dawkins and them we get it but if we’re talking about impact how do we ignore Steph Curry we didn’t ignore him because here’s here’s where my challenge is I know if you are various analysts who talk about what a quintessential true point guard is supposed to to be right then I’m like okay I get where you coming from you’re supposed to set up and facilitate opportunities for others you would know this is one of the great point guards to ever played the game I get that part so in that regard it’s a no-brain It’s Magic but when I think about impact in terms of the effect that you have on the players around you and an opposing defense I believe that it’s a viable debate to debate Magic Johnson and Steph Curry because Steph Curry is the greatest shooter God has ever created he is a guy as you well know who is a threat the second he steps an inch past half court he can pull up from 40 or 50 and kill you this is who he is and because of his shooting ability his stamina his ability to move without the basketball and to create his own shot your head is constantly on a swivel wherever he is you look like where is he you know and you can’t guard him one- on-one you have to guard him as a team you have to literally guard areas because no single individual can stay with him picks the screens his constant movement his stamina JR Smith said it on Instagram months ago when he said Matthew delova had to be hospitalized because they had to give him oxygen because he was running around from chasing Steph Curry so much he almost died now think about that for a second and so anybody that’s run if you out there and you running you try to run a think about you running a marathon think about you even running on a treadmill where you at your last breath you’re like my God that was Matthew delova having to chase him that’s not what magic did to you and so again quintessential point guard magic which I would agree with your top five but if we talking impact I might have to replace Magic Johnson with Steph C I’m not used to Stephen a dancing I’m just telling you bobbing and weaving right now I’m gonna go magic I’m gonna go magic because old school and because the leadership his team’s never stunk you know even when Steph Curry was dead when Klay Thompson wasn’t they weren’t the same and that’s what hurt Steph whereas magic and not only that I just don’t feel I ain’t gonna lie to you man I just don’t feel like getting cussed out by Michael Jordan okay I just don’t Michael Jordan said when I start bringing when I start bypassing old school dudes for some new school dudes Michael Jordan G he just gonna call me he gonna see this interview and he gonna call and cuss me out man he actually text you right when you made your your pick yeah he does he does he did he did he did he did tried to produce First Tape you know what I’m saying he’s crazy he’s crazy I mean but but I love them to death but it’s like this is what they do man because you got these old you got these old cats and this is how they feel but they’re right I get it so I would go with magic but whoever you whoever we mentioned in this discussion you going to leave out greats to even be mentioned in this discussion is a heck of a compliment and the respect that we have for you whether it’s Steph Curry Isaiah Thomas Oscar Robinson Tim Duncan all the greats historically right to be acknowledged if Kevin Durant had won somewhere other than Golden State I would have had to put Kevin Durant ahead of bird I got no problem with that if he would have but today I’m going bird but speaking of all time great I got to thank you again for joining us man it’s been an absolute privilege this is not his last time he will be back on the Mark Jackson show thank you so much for watching on the come and talk to me Network thank you again to under Underdog fantasy thank you again to the Legends Cam and mace continue to watch and support n Bel love [Music] blessings you