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- Stephen A. Smith cited reports that Kyrie Irving called James Harden “washed” during Nets practice on Monday’s First Take.
- The “report”, however, came from parody social media account Ballsack Sports.
- SAS shockingly isn’t the first ESPN personality to get duped by Ballsack Sports.
On Monday’s episode of First Take, ESPN star Stephen A. Smith cited a report that Kyrie Irving “looked James Harden in the face and told him ‘you washed up.'”
“Especially when Kyrie looked him in the face, according to reports, and told him ‘you washed up.’ He said that to him. That’s part of the reason they had a falling out in Brooklyn,” Smith said with his usual gusto.
Stephen A. Smith gets fooled by fake report from “Ballsack Sports” Twitter account
Unfortunately for Smith, though, the “reports” that he’s citing aren’t real, as the story originated on the parody social account Ballsack Sports. Ballsack Sports, first launched in June 2021, posts fake sports stories in an effort to go viral.
😭😭😭😭 “according to reports” https://t.co/DxFWRsaK0M pic.twitter.com/oQBVSLXvIQ
— Ballsack Sports (@BallsackSports) April 4, 2022
Even Kevin Durant called out Smith:
Damn steve. Got ya ass https://t.co/oyZY5uPCKx
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) April 5, 2022
This actually isn’t the first time that an ESPN personality has gotten duped by a “report” from Ballsack Sports, as NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins also cited the fake Irving-Harden story from the parody sports account a few weeks ago.
To be fair to Stephen A., though, given the incessant drama that seems to follow both Kyrie Irving and James Harden wherever they go, one of them saying something like that to the other is certainly within the realm of possibility.
With the NBA playoffs set to begin in a week or so, all basketball fans can do now is hope that the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers cross paths during the postseason at some point. The hot takes will be extra spicy.