Stephen A. Smith has expressed no sympathy for NBA players complaining about the league's new rest rule. "If you're unhappy with this rule, blame some of your contemporaries. What do you expect the National Basketball Association to do when there are some players sitting out games to avoid getting injured? They're not injured, they are avoiding getting injured!" Smith ranted on First Take.
In particular, Smith was responded to comments from Tyrese Haliburton, who recently sounded off about the rule. “I think it’s a stupid rule, like plenty of the guys in the league, but this is what the owners want. So as players, we gotta do our job and play in 65 games if we’re able to. So, that’s what I gotta do, take care of my body to be able to play in those games, and I think you’re seeing other players in the league kind of face the same thing. As long as the owners are happy," Haliburton told The Athletic. Haliburton could lose out on up to $40 million if he is deemed ineligible for the All-NBA Team nod is likely heading for.
Stephen A. Smith Wants To Be In GTA 6
Elsewhere, Smith also expressed his desire to do some work for an upcoming video game. Smith co-signed a fan request to appear in GTA 6 after the fan said that the game needed a radio station featuring Smith. The ESPN personality replied, saying "I do love me some Vice City" and tagging GTA developer Rockstar Games. Smith's bombastic style would be perfect for the spoken interstitials between the tracks of licensed music played on the in-game radio stations. Hell, maybe Rockstar could add a side quest relating to Smith. Maybe you have to help the in-game Smith deal with his rival, the in-game version of Skip Bayless.
GTA 6 is due to be released next year. Rockstar finally teased the game at the end of 2023. Fittingly for Smith's musing, the game is due to return to Vice City, the in-universe version of Miami. However, fans are still waiting for more substantial news about the game following Rockstar's initial vibes-based trailer. What is known currently is that GTA 5's multi-protagonist mechanic is returning and that one of the playable characters will be a woman for the first time in the history of the series.
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