Stephen A. Smith makes brutal gaffe while talking about the Golden State Warriors
It’s been easy enough to explain Stephen A. Smith’s many football mistakes over the years.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players in a game were: three men not playing in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly claimed the Warriors haven’t made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State advanced to the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
Definitely not a college football guy (Remember looking for Jalen Milroe Did he repeatedly call Jalen “Milroy” and read the wrong stat line after the College Football Playoff game?)
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Because ESPN is forcing him into these conversations. First Take Football has to do the talking and Smith knows it is the most popular sport in the country and should be seen as an authority (even though he is not).
But Monday’s latest mistake is much harder to excuse because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was referring to the Golden State Warriors, one of the NBA’s defining dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that was supposed to be his livelihood.
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While discussing whether or not Steve Kerr managed his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated that the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since winning the title in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
This isn’t even close to reality. Golden State not only made the playoffs last season, but also reached the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beating the Rockets in seven games and advancing to the second round without losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and then lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
So if Smith said they hadn’t won the playoff series since 2022, he wouldn’t even be right. But he didn’t say that. He said they haven’t made it to the play-offs in any of the last four years, but they’ve done it twice.
Ahh.
This is not a minor part of the NBA that Smith can easily be forgiven for not knowing. Maybe it was He’s too busy playing solitaire on his phone and after the last three seasons in the NBA, we missed two of them. That’s a tough look for someone who considers himself the nation’s No. 1 NBA analyst.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN as they continue to sell Smith as one of the faces of NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a cruel gaffe while discussing the Warriors’ playoff history
No one would be surprised if Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL. At this point, sports fans expect him to butcher football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a man with Smith’s ego can convey every “fact” with such confidence while also being so constantly wrong. This is part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one has a different impact because the NBA is where he needs to know at least the basics. This is where Smith prides himself as an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated that the Golden State Warriors have failed to make the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
However, he still could not keep the Warriors’ recent playoff record straight. The team whose head coach is in the news every two weeks. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important teams in the NBA in the last 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after being eliminated in the Play-in tournament (even though they won 46 games that season). And yes, he fell short again this season. But that’s a far cry from pretending Steve Kerr has spent the four years wandering into the basketball wilderness since winning the 2022 title.
He didn’t. In fact, the team was 175-153 over the last four regular seasons.
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The Warriors advanced to the second round in 2023. They made it to the second round again in 2025.
Maybe Stephen A. Smith can take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors are actually in the playoffs before he buries Steve Kerr on national television.
