Stephen A. Smith Talking

LISTEN: Stephen A. Smith Reveals Hilarious Kobe Bryant NSFW Voicemails to Howard Stern

Apparently, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and NBA legend Kobe Bryant had the kind of friendship in which they could say anything to each other. At least that’s the impression the longtime sports personality told the Howard Stern Show in a recent interview.

During the interview, Smith discussed the kinds of voicemails he’d receive if he was ever overly critical of Bryant’s play. The ESPN analyst recalled some of the messages he’d receive from the NBA superstar.

Bryant never held back in those messages, according to Smith. And, at times, he was even a little intimidated by his friend. Below is the clip from the show, which uses plenty of colorful language:

If those conversations occurred as Smith says, then it’s easy to understand why he might’ve been a little startled by Bryant. Hearing Bryant take that kind of tone could intimidate just about anyone.

At the end of the day, though, Smith says that the two always remained friends.

Stephen A. Smith Apologizes for Rihanna Comment

Stephen A. Smith issued a public apology on Wednesday after taking a shot at Super Bowl LVII performer and pop singer Rihanna. The ESPN personality said, “she ain’t Beyonce,” during an appearance on The Sherri Show.

Smith took to Twitter to apologize for his comment.

“Horrific mistake,” Smith tweeted. “Something that was suppose to be a fun moment on the Sherri Shepard show has gotten out of hand. An overzealous member on my MGMT team — which has access to my account — posted something I would NEVER say about @Rihanna, her fans or any other artist.

“The post has been removed. My social management team will never make a mistake like this again. My apologies again to @Rihanna. And just to be clear, I’m a huge fan. Sherri and I were just having fun. That is all.”

Smith’s comments riled up some of Rihanna’s fans. After catching some heat for the joke, he clarified his comments and issued the apology

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