Jaylen Brown spent part of his Sunday night stream torching one of ESPN’s biggest stars, unloading a profanity-filled rant at Stephen A. Smith on Twitch and flatly telling him to “retire” and “get off these networks.” While replaying old “First Take” footage, Brown repeatedly branded Smith “the face of clickbait media,” escalating a feud that has been simmering since Boston’s Game 7 playoff loss.
According to Boston.com, Brown paused a May 7 "First Take" clip and tore into Smith’s coverage, accusing him of chasing narrative and clicks instead of practicing journalism. The outlet notes that Brown used especially strong language as he replayed multiple "First Take" exchanges for his viewers, all while repeating his call for Smith to walk away from television.
First Take Clip Lights the Fuse
Smith’s original shot came on the May 7 edition of "First Take," where he argued that Brown “needs to be quiet,” a line that clearly stuck with the Celtics star. Awful Announcing and other outlets documented both the May 7 segment and Brown’s later pushback on social media, where Brown went so far as to challenge Smith by suggesting he would stop streaming if Smith agreed to retire.
League Response And The Fine
The war of words is unfolding alongside official business from the league office. The NBA fined Brown $50,000 for publicly criticizing officiating after a May 3 livestream, with the penalty announced on May 5. NBA.com published the discipline notice, stating that Brown’s comments in the wake of Boston’s Game 7 loss violated league rules regarding public criticism of officials.
Local Stakes For The Celtics
In Boston, the dust-up is more than just entertainment, since Brown remains central to the Celtics’ identity on and off the floor. As CBS Boston reported, Brown has described the 2025–26 season as his “favorite year” and said he is open to staying with the Celtics long-term. National coverage from outlets like Bleacher Report and Yahoo Sports has framed the Brown–Smith feud as one of the storylines likely to trail the Celtics into the offseason.
For now, Boston fans and media are left waiting to see who blinks first. Brown is leaning into his ability to speak directly to followers through livestreams, while Smith, who remains one of sports media’s highest-profile voices, has plenty of space to answer back on television. The broader tug-of-war between players controlling their own platforms and the old-school TV pundit machine looks set to keep buzzing through the summer.
