Antonio Brown presses Stephen A. Smith after Kyrie Irving ‘stupid’ walk-back

Stephen A. Smith has built a career on delivering strong opinions with little room for reversal. This week, he broke from that pattern entirely.

The ESPN personality interrupted his vacation to address a stance he took nearly five years ago involving Kyrie Irving - a decision that cost Irving millions of dollars.

Stephen A. Smith publicly apologizes to Kyrie Irving

Smith made the comments on the latest episode of his SiriusXM show after watching former NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right more than one hundred times during the hearing, a moment Smith said reshaped his thinking. Smith had previously called Irving’s stance selfish and accused him of playing the victim.

"I watched Dr. Fauci on Capitol Hill yesterday, and the person I thought about most was Kyrie Irving,” Smith said. “Kyrie Irving stood out in my mind because of the heat that he was taking... He refused the vaccine. New York City's mandate made him ineligible for home games, and he linked his stance to people losing jobs over vaccine mandates."

He outright admitted that it was wrong of him to call Irving out. “Kyrie Irving did nobody wrong. We did him wrong. I did him wrong. And for that, I’m sincerely sorry,” Smith added. “I just thought it was important to say that… I need to do better. I’m not alone, but I’m responsible for me. I need to do better. And I will.”

Irving missed home games for the Brooklyn Nets during the 2021-22 season under New York City’s vaccine mandate, forfeiting roughly $11.4 million in game checks.

Antonio Brown now demands his own public apology too

Smith’s apology quickly drew reaction across the sports world including Antonio Brown. Brown, a former NFL wide receiver, was suspended three games without pay in 2021 after the league determined he had misrepresented his vaccination status.

He quote-tweeted a clip of Smith's apology on X, writing: “where is my public apology for not wanting to take the vaccine? 🧐”

Irving is expected back with the Mavericks for the 2026-27 season after missing last year with a torn ACL. Brown, now retired, continues to be in the news for his bold takes across different topics.

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