For years, Stephen A. Smith’s many football mistakes were fairly easy to explain.
He’s not an NFL guy (remember when he said the three key players in a game were three guys who didn’t play in the game?)
Stephen A. Smith falsely claimed that the Warriors have not made the playoffs since 2022, but Golden State reached the second round in 2023 and 2025. (Jérôme 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 these conversations because First take has to talk about football, and Smith knows that football is the most popular sport in the country and that he should be considered an authority (even if he isn’t).
But Monday’s latest mistake 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 NBA’s defining dynasties of the last decade.
In other words, he was talking about the sport and the league that is supposed to be his livelihood.
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While discussing whether Steve Kerr 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 attends a game against the Sacramento Kings. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
That’s not even true. Not only did Golden State reach the playoffs last season, but they also reached the playoffs in 2023. Last year, the Warriors made the playoffs, beat the Rockets in seven games and advanced 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 haven’t reached the playoffs in the last four years, except they did it twice.
Yeah.
This isn’t some obscure NBA trivia that Smith could easily be forgiven for not knowing. Maybe he was too busy playing solitaire on his phone and narrowly missed two of the last three NBA playoffs. It’s a tough look for someone who considers himself the nation’s No. 1 NBA analyst.
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 that kind of mistake when talking about the NFL, no one would be shocked. At this point, sports fans practically expect him to massacre football analytics. It’s almost endearing that a guy with Smith’s ego can get it wrong so consistently while delivering every “fact” with the utmost confidence. This is part of the Stephen A. experience.
But this one hits differently because the NBA is where he’s supposed to know at least the basics. This is where Smith prides himself on being an authority figure.
Stephen A. Smith incorrectly stated that the Golden State Warriors have not made the playoffs since their 2022 championship, although the team has reached the playoffs twice since then. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
And yet, he couldn’t keep the Warriors’ recent playoff history going. The team whose head coach is in the news every two weeks. The team that has won four championships since 2014. Arguably one of the most important franchises in the NBA over the last 15 years.
Yes, Golden State missed the playoffs in 2024 after being bounced in the Play-In tournament (although they won 46 games this season). And yes, it failed again this season. But it’s a lot different to act like Steve Kerr has spent four years wandering the basketball wilderness since he won that title in 2022.
He didn’t do it. In fact, the team is 175-153 over the last four regular seasons.
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The Warriors reached the second round in 2023. They reached the second round again in 2025.
Before we bury Steve Kerr on national television, maybe Stephen A. Smith could take 10 seconds to confirm whether the Warriors were actually, you know, in the playoffs.
