One of the most vocal pundits in the sports world is opening up about some dark days from his childhood. Stephen A. Smith is known for being loud and boisterous on TV, offering blunt opinions on current events in sports. There was a time, however, when mum was the word for the ESPN personality.
Among the topics Stephen discussed in a recent interview was growing up in financial hardship with an emotionally distant, and apparently largely absent father. He also experienced his share of traumatic situations.
Stephen A. Smith saw people being killed in his youth
He’s commented on some of the most extraordinary stories in sports, but Stephen also witnessed his share of horrific events as a child. In a candid conversation with Graham Bensinger, Stephen revealed that when he was young, he saw “a couple people get gunned down.”
Stephen shared one vivid memory about someone he grew up with, and how this person was playfully making mom jokes with another guy. What began as just a harmless back-and-forth apparently got personal with Stephen claiming the person he knew got shot in the kneecaps. “That’s the kind of stuff that I grew up seeing,” said Stephen.
While the renowned pundit is rarely at a loss for words on television these days, back then, staying silent was a necessity. According to Stephen, he never spoke up about shootings he’d seen. This was out of fear that snitching might put him on someone’s hit list. He remembers the house of one of his boys being shot up, with a five-year-old girl being killed. Stephen believes this was a territorial war.
He may be best known for his no-nonsense sports commentary, but Stephen also delves into political issues. In December, he slammed the President for his remarks about Rob Reiner. On his Truth Social, Donald Trump took aim at the late Hollywood filmmaker, despite his murder.
Being surrounded by death as a child has forever changed Stephen’s mindset. He says that sports saved him and became his pathway to a better life.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK STEPHEN A. SMITH’S CHILDHOOD HELPED MAKE HIM THE OUTSPOKEN PUNDIT WE KNOW TODAY?
