11 May 2023 , 22:03
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Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis left the court in a wheelchair on Wednesday night, and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has apologised after mocking the NBA star.
Davis suffered what appeared to be an accidental elbow to the face by Golden State Warriors star Kevon Looney in the fourth quarter, and was instantly affected. Davis then was carted off in a wheelchair due to concerns over his balance, but thankfully an early diagnosis ruled that the Lakers star had avoided a concussion.
But this wasn't known at the time, and there was real concern over the wellbeing of Davis who was clearly in severe discomfort. There wasn't any sympathy from Smith though, but he has since apologised for his actions on Twitter.
Seeing Davis leave the court in a wheelchair was quite the sight, but Smith was sceptical the following morning as he questioned the legitimacy of the concussion. "I’ll be damned if I wasn’t laughing," Smith said. "I’m like, concussion? Concussion? I thought the NFL season was over!
"Now, I understands concussions can happen in other sports — boxing, UFC. And I mean, if the collision is fierce enough, I guess it could happen in basketball, too. But damn, I ain’t seen nothin’ yesterday that made me say concussion. Concussion?"
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But Smith received severe backlash from fans and even fellow analysts, due to the increasing awareness about the long-lasting impact of concussions and head injuries. Smith isn't one to apologise often for his outlandish comments, and even after he called for Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard to retire he stuck by his word.
But this time Smith did issue an apology, claiming "my bad" as he misread the room. "Blow back is Blow back. Comes with the territory, peeps," Smith said in an apology on Twitter. "I was in no way minimizing the seriousness of a concussion.
"I was questioning whether Anthony Davis really had one, considering the play I saw & other hits I’ve seen him absorb. But, bottom line, it was wrong for me to do. Period! My bad."
Smith isn't the only analyst that felt backlash from fans though, as Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal couldn't stop laughing during live coverage of David being wheeled away. On air they claimed to be laughing at something else, but fans haven't fallen for their stories and have speculated that it was indeed aimed at the Lakers star.