Stephen A. Smith’s college headshot has made its way onto X once again

STEPHEN A. Smith’s ongoing beef with the New Orleans Pelicans has resulted in the resurfacing of one of his college headshots.

The First Take host recently came under fire for critical comments made about Pelicans star Zion Williamson on Get Up!

Stephen A. Smith has co-hosted First Take on ESPN since 2012
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Stephen A. Smith has co-hosted First Take on ESPN since 2012Credit: First Take

Smith was a college basketball star for D-II Winston-Salem State University
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Smith was a college basketball star for D-II Winston-Salem State UniversityCredit: Greensboro News & Record
“Zion Williamson, it’s not about his game,” Smith said.

“It’s about how many burgers he’s eating and whether or not he is going to be in shape or if he’s going to keep eating McDonald’s and have chefs clamoring for him to come to their restaurants.

“That’s what he has to prove, that the chefs don’t love him any longer.

“That he’s committed to playing basketball and being in shape.”

The Pelicans’ social media team subsequently responded by creating and sharing a blooper reel of Smith on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The reel included him missing shots, failing to deliver a first pitch at a New York Yankees game, and falling on a basketball court.

Also included was a screengrab of Smith’s college basketball profile and headshot from Division II Winston-Salem State University.

It stated that for the 1990-1991 season, he averaged 1.5 points per game and one assist.

In the snap, a fresh-faced Smith looked unrecognizable, rocking a mustache and a WSSU Rams jersey.

“The first year there I cracked my kneecap in half,” he explained on Podcast P with Paul George in August 2023.

Molly Qerim outfit choice criticized by Stephen A
“I was never able to play again. I actually had to leave school for a semester to go home under my mother’s insurance to rehab because they wouldn’t pay for the insurance in North Carolina.

“So I would come back, make the team, trying to practice, and once every 36 to 48 hours my knee would just give out.

“I couldn’t run without the limp an all of that other stuff and that’s what happened.

“So what I said was everybody teasing me 1.5 points per game, I said, ‘No, it was less. I never played cause I cracked my kneecap in half.'”

In fact, Smith added that he still has a six-inch screw in his knee as a result of the injury.

As for his back and forth with the Pelicans, he recently responded to their post in a ten-minute segment on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show.

“I don’t give a s**t. It doesn’t bother me that you troll me. I can take it,” he said.

Later, Smith roasted the Pelicans for having had “As many names as you do playoff series victories in 22 years,” adding that they have yet to win more than one Division title.

He also claimed that regarding Williamson, he “was half joking because I’m rooting for the kid.”

However, the Pelicans fought back.

“I ain’t watching all that,” “I’m happy for you though,” “Or sorry that happened,” they said in an edited screengrab of a text chain.