Stephen A. Smith was misled by a fabricated social media post, not just once, but twice within two days.
On a recent episode of First Take, Smith discussed a post allegedly made by Oklahoma City’s All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which claimed he was part of the high-profile trade from the Clippers to the Thunder in exchange for Paul George.
“He had every right to do it, so let’s get that out of the way,” Smith commented.
However, it turns out that Gilgeous-Alexander never actually made such a post. The claim was sourced from a post by a notorious troll account known for creating disturbances online.
RELATED: Former Boston Red Sox Pitcher Blasts ‘Racist’ Stephen A. Smith Over Mike Trout Injury Comment
While it’s true that Gilgeous-Alexander was indeed traded from the Clippers to the Thunder as part of that blockbuster deal five years ago, he has not publicly criticized his former team or discussed the trade amidst his rise to NBA stardom.
This incident raises concerns about the reliability of the information that influences Stephen A. Smith’s opinions, especially considering his reaction was based on completely fabricated content.
To avoid the pitfalls of misinformation on social media, perhaps the simplest solution is to steer clear of it altogether. Now, wouldn’t that be something?
