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Why was Stephen A Smith called ‘little b*tch’ amid his NBA Finals feud with Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton

Stephen A Smith had called out Tyrese Haliburton after the Indiana Pacers guard had criticised the media without mentioning him directly post NBA Finals Game 3.

Updated on: Jun 14, 2025, 05:09:36 IST
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Former MLB star and host Cody Decker slammed ESPN’s Stephen A Smith for his little feud with Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton during the ongoing NBA finals.

Stephen A. Smith has a new feud with Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton amid the NBA Finals, and Cody Decker just jumped into it. (Getty Images via AFP)
Stephen A. Smith has a new feud with Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton amid the NBA Finals, and Cody Decker just jumped into it. (Getty Images via AFP)

It seems like Decker is still harbouring some resentment for Smith for being the reason he was fired from SiriusXM. Stephen A Smith recently announced a multi-year agreement with SiriusXM to be a part of two new radio shows, which immediately led to the firing of Decker and co-host Michelle Beadle from the network. Their time slot has been given to the long-time ESPN host.

The new drama involving Cody Decker started when Smith called out Tyrese Haliburton after the Indiana Pacers guard had criticised the media without mentioning the sports personality directly following a 116-107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA finals on Wednesday.

“If he was talking about me…players far more accomplished and more superior have made their efforts trying to call me out. How has that worked out? I’ll be here no matter what, remember that wins a chip,” Smith said on his ESPN show, “First Take

Decker shared the clip of Smith calling out Haliburton on the social media platform X and wrote, “Those that empowered this little b–tch.”

What did Tyrese Haliburton indirectly say about Stephen A Smith after NBA Finals Game 3?

Tyrese Haliburton did not seem to be happy about some criticism that came his way from Stephen A Smith for his performance in the first two games of the NBA Finals. So after the Pacers won Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the guard slammed the media commentary on him, without taking the name of the $100 million ESPN host.

“The commentary is always going to be what it is. Most of the time, the talking heads on the major platforms, I couldn’t care less, honestly. Like, what do they really know about basketball?” Haliburton said.

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