Stephen A. Smith Reveals Who Faces The Most Pressure To Win An NBA Title This Year

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The Apollo Presents In Conversation: Fat Joe
Stephen A. Smith backstage during "In Conversation with Fat Joe" at The Apollo Theater on November 15, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images)
The latest Stephen A. Smith Top 5 list might be a bit divisive.

Stephen A. Smith is certainly one of the best personalities over at ESPN. In fact, one could make the argument that he is the best personality in all of sports media. Overall, he is known for his work on First Take. However, at this point, he should be credited with keeping ESPN afloat. He is a guest on practically all of their programs, and that will not change for a long time. After all, they are paying the man close to $10 million per year, which is a very large chunk of change.

When it comes to Smith, his expertise is definitely in the world of the NBA. Now that the NFL is done for the season, Smith has more opportunities to talk about basketball. On today's episode of First Take, that is exactly what he did with JJ Redick and Chris Russo by his side. With All-Star done, the conversation has subsequently shifted to which team is going to win the title. Consequently, this has also led to some discourse about who is facing the most pressure. In order to make it simple, Smith created a list.

Stephen A. Concocts A New List

This top five list was based on who is facing the most pressure to come through and win an NBA title. Number five on the list was Kawhi Leonard, while number four was Nikola Jokic. Additionally, Jayson Tatum was at three, James Harden was at two, and number one was Chris Paul. Redick thought this was the perfect list for numerous reasons. Overall, Paul needs a title for his legacy, as does Harden. Moreover, Jayson Tatum needs to exercise the demons from last season's NBA Finals. As for Jokic and Kawhi, well, one needs to live up to his MVP self, while the other hasn't done much in Los Angeles.

Chris "Mad Dog" Russo was not a huge fan of the list, claiming Kevin Durant needed to be at the top. However, as Smith pointed out, Durant has won two Finals MVPs and two rings. With that in mind, there isn't really much pressure on him at all. Let us know what you think of Smith's take, in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the basketball world.

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About The Author
Alexander Cole
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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