For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football mistakes have been easy enough to explain away.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players to a game were three guys who didn’t play in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed that the Warriors have not reached the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in both 2023 and 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
He’s definitely not a college football guy (remember when he called Jalen Milroe Jalen “Milroy” multiple times and then read the wrong stat line after a College Football Playoff game?).
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ESPN is forcing him into those conversations because First Take have to talk football and Smith knows football is the most popular sport in the country and he needs to be seen as an authority (even though he’s not).
But Monday’s latest slip-up is much harder to excuse, because this time Smith wasn’t talking about the NFL or college football. He was talking about the Golden State Warriors, one of the defining NBA dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that was supposed to be his bread and butter.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr has coached his last game with Golden State, Smith confidently stated that the Warriors “haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.”
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks on during a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even close to true. Not only did Golden State make the playoffs last season, but they also made the postseason in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beating the Rockets in seven games and advancing to the second round before losing to the Timberwolves. In 2023, they beat the Sacramento Kings in the first round and before losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals.
So Smith wouldn’t even have been right if he said they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022. But he didn’t say that. He said they didn’t make the playoffs in any of the last four years, except for twice.
Yikes.
This is not an obscure piece of NBA trivia that Smith could easily be forgiven for not knowing. Maybe he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and just missed two of the past three NBA postseasons. It’s a tough look for the guy who fancies himself the No. 1 NBA analyst in the country.
And it’s a terrible look for ESPN as they continue to sell Smith as one of the faces of their NBA coverage.
Stephen A. Smith made a brutal gaffe while talking about the Warriors’ playoff history
If Smith made this kind of mistake while talking about the NFL, no one would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to slaughter football analysis. It’s almost endearing that a guy with Smith’s ego can be so consistently wrong while delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. It’s part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he needs to at least know the basics. This is where Smith prides himself on being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly said the Golden State Warriors have not made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, despite the team reaching the postseason twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet he couldn’t keep up the Warriors’ recent playoff history. The team whose head coach is in the news every other week. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after being bounced in the Play-In Tournament (even though they won 46 games that season). And yes, it fell short again this season. But that’s a lot different than acting like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball desert since winning the 2022 title.
He doesn’t have that. In fact, the team is 175-153 over the past four regular seasons.
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The Warriors reached the second round in 2023. They reached the second round again in 2025.
Before burying Steve Kerr on national television, Stephen A. Smith might take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were indeed in the playoffs.
