ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has become one of the most popular figures in the sports media. The veteran journalist has risen to stardom due to his rants and takes, although his words and actions have sometimes gotten him in trouble.
Smith has been seen exchanging words with LeBron James during a Los Angeles Lakers-New York Knicks game and flirting with the idea of running for office for the Democratic Party in 2028. X account “NBA Retweet” shared a two-minute clip of Smith’s participation on “Law & Order” on Thursday’s episode, titled “Tough Love.” He played a sports agent urging his client to cut off his entourage before being found dead. Many fans reacted to his cameo, having mixed comments about his acting. While some praised his performance, others didn’t think twice to troll him.
“He should do this instead of working on ESPN, he’s a better actor than he is an analyst,” one fan said.
“He kinda killed it lol,” another fan said.
“This was actually pretty good,” a third fan wrote.
“Still mentioning Lebron,” a fourth fan said.
“Horrible,” a fifth fan simply wrote.
“Nah he snapped I can’t lie,” a sixth fan said.
Smith teased his cameo to PEOPLE, explaining that he didn’t want to be a lawyer on the show and opted to play an agent since he’s been around them during his career.
“That was fun for me,” the analyst says. “I knew that I would know how to do that because I’ve been dealing with agents my entire career. So I know how they talk, I know how they act, I know how they feel.
“I know the nuances that come with their profession to some degree because I’ve experienced it. And so I just tried to bring that to the scene and tried to make it as real and as authentic as it possibly can be. And they say I was successful, so we’re going to go with that.”
Smith always draws attention with his actions. Watching him act on one of the most iconic TV shows of all time was a big surprise for fans, and it seems like he’d be willing to give it another go.
Meanwhile, he’s watching his Knicks beat the defending champions Boston Celtics, in the first two games of their second-round playoff series.
