Nick Wright destroys Stephen A. Smith over political rants

Stephen A. Smith is pushing back hard against calls to shorten the NBA's 82-game regular season.

The ESPN star addressed the debate after a wave of early-season injuries sidelined multiple superstars.

More than two weeks into the 2026-27 season, several players have suffered serious injuries.

Some will miss months.

Others are out for the entire campaign.

That has revived discussion about whether the league should reduce its 82-game schedule.

Bill Simmons recently called the NBA greedy for prioritizing financial interests over player health.

But Stephen A. Smith disagrees with that suggestion.

He made his case on his own show, pointing to history.

"Before the money came into play, cats were playing these number of games," Smith said.

"Wasn't making as much money as they are making now."

He noted that players in earlier eras often held second jobs to supplement their basketball income.

"You had some cats moonlighting, having jobs outside basketball to supplement their basketball income," he said.

"They say nothing then."

Smith then laid out the core of his argument.

"How is it that you become more rich, more wealthy, more affluent, more posh and comfortable, and somehow that leads to you saying, 'Oh, by the way, let's work less too'?" he asked.

The NBA has had a long season since the 1960s.

In 1961-62, the league already played an 80-game regular season.

Five years later, that number rose to 81.

By 1967-68, it reached 82 games.

Except for lockout-shortened years and COVID-19 shortened seasons, the league has always played an 82-game regular season.

The financial context has changed dramatically.

The NBA didn't sign its first billion-dollar TV deal until 1998.

That was a four-year, $2.64 billion agreement with NBC and Turner Sports.

By 2016, the league was already earning at least $1 billion per year from its TV deal alone.

LeBron James recently offered a different perspective on the injury wave.

He talked about the pace of today's game and how a more relaxed offseason and preseason could be contributing to injuries.

Stephen A. acknowledged LeBron's points during his segment.

"I understand the point about injuries," Smith said.

"LeBron's points are on point. We are not to question him. He knows, damn it. I got it."

But then Smith countered with a historical comparison.

"But how many times did MJ play 80 times in a season? 82 in a season?" Smith asked.

"The Gary Paytons of the world? Kobe Bryants of the world?"

The numbers back Smith's point on those players.

Michael Jordan played at least 80 games in 11 of his 15 seasons.

That includes nine years when he played all 82 games.

Gary Payton played at least 80 games in 13 of his 17 NBA seasons.

Kobe Bryant also logged heavy regular-season minutes throughout his career.

Smith did not mention one notable ironman from NBA history.

Utah Jazz legend John Stockton played 82 games in 17 of his 19 seasons.

Stockton is widely considered one of the most durable players in league history.

Smith skipped over him entirely during his argument.

The debate comes at a tense moment in sports media.

Nick Wright, host of First Things First, recently called out Smith over his political commentary.

Wright posted on X after the U.S. midterm elections.

"The problem with refusing to be honest with your audience (and potentially yourself!) about your politics while creating political content is you end up creating political content that appeals to… absolutely no one," Wright wrote.

Smith has been increasingly active in political commentary.

He released a video after the midterms discussing how Democratic dominance might cost the party in 2028.

There have been suggestions that Smith might eventually run for political office himself.

He has said in the past he would run as a Democrat if he had to.

But he has also been known to agree with Republicans on various issues.

The political climate in the country remains tense.

Multiple issues being discussed in races have involved the sports world, albeit indirectly at times.

Now even the bigger names in sports media are getting involved in the crossfire.

Smith is unlikely to let Wright's criticism slide without response.

The 82-game debate touches on deeper questions about player compensation and workload.

Players today earn significantly more than their predecessors.

The average NBA salary now exceeds $10 million per year.

Superstars earn $40 million to $60 million annually.

Smith's argument suggests that increased compensation should not come with reduced workload.

Critics counter that the modern game is faster and more physically demanding.

Players cover more ground per game than in previous eras.

The pace of play and style of movement put different stress on bodies.

LeBron's point about offseason habits raises another factor.

Players today often train year-round, with less true rest.

The preseason schedule has also been condensed in recent years.

Smith acknowledged those factors but did not change his position.

He returned to his core theme: past players managed the same schedule with fewer resources.

"They say nothing then," he repeated.

The NBA has not indicated any serious consideration of reducing the schedule.

Commissioner Adam Silver has previously said the league values the 82-game tradition.