NBA on TNT's Kenny Smith gets blasted on Twitter for Sabrina Ionescu comment
Even with an incredible shooting performance by Sabrina Ionescu, TNT's Kenny Smith proves that it's still not enough for women to be as good at sports as men.
Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu in a one-on-one 3-point contest was the highlight of NBA All-Star Weekend, but TNT's Kenny Smith found a way to ruin it.
After Ionescu put up 26 points in the contest -- the exact amount that Damian Lillard, Trae Young, and Karl-Anthony Towns had in the NBA 3-Point Contest -- Smith went on a rant about how Ionescu should have taken shots from the WNBA 3-point line, considering she was already using a woman's size basketball.
Smith claimed that he wasn't convinced it was a fair competition between the two shooters.
Even though Ionescu was originally going to shoot from the WNBA line, she opted to shoot from the NBA line earlier in January. Since she practices from that range, she wanted to bring her talents to show, and it was a no-brainer for her when she was told it was an option to shoot from there.
Kenny Smith gives worst possible take on Sabrina Ionescu vs Steph Curry 3-point battle
The WNBA 3-point line is 22 feet and 1.75 inches, while the NBA line is 23 feet and nine inches.
The moment was spectacular for Ionescu and all female athletes. Watching Ionescu only lose to arguably the greatest shooter of all time, Curry, by 3 points is impressive for any basketball player, female or male.
But the commentary shouldn't have been what it was after that moment. It was a revolutionary moment for the WNBA, and Smith wasn't realizing it.
Immediately after Curry made his final shots to seal his victory, Smith began his rant by saying that it would have been fair if Ionescu had shot from the WNBA 3-point line. TNT's Reggie Miller tried to get it under control by standing up for Ionescu, but Smith wasn't backing down.
Smith continued, adding, “She should have shot from the line. There is a women’s tee in golf, and there is a men’s tee for a reason.”
Except Miller was confident going against Smith on this one. “According to you, you want her to be playing with dolls.”
Smith then followed and said, “No, I want her to shoot from where you shoot from. And there is nothing wrong with playing with dolls.”
Then, the chatter took Twitter fast, and NBA fans and players spoke out against Smith. Joel Embiid even went to Twitter, where he said, "He has been drinking," referring to Smith.
Overall, it indeed was an upsetting moment to see for the NBA on TNT commentators, as Smith ruined the magical moment. But he once again reminded everyone how challenging it can be to be a woman in sports, even an undeniably elite one.
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