Blake Griffin unloads on Stephen A. Smith, Shams Charania and state of sports media

Blake Griffin spent 14 seasons in the NBA, so he’s certainly familiar with sports reporters, television personalities and the occasional hot take.

Now that he’s retired, he’s apparently ready to offer a few opinions of his own. And Stephen A. Smith and Shams Charania might not particularly enjoy them.

Griffin debuted his new show, The Stepback with Blake Griffin, on Prime Video and YouTube this week, dedicating the entire first episode to a question that probably deserves more attention: What happened to sports journalism?

As Megan Armstrong of Awful Announcing detailed, Griffin mixed comedy with some pointed criticism of the modern sports media business, taking aim at everything from television debate shows to the rise of NBA insiders.

He also offered a spirited defense of traditional beat reporters, arguing that their declining numbers have left an important void in sports coverage. But first, he had a little fun with Smith.

Stephen A. gets an earful

Griffin revisited Smith’s criticism of Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton during Indiana’s run to the 2025 NBA Finals.

Haliburton had questioned what some national television commentators really know about basketball, prompting an animated response from Smith. Griffin wasn’t impressed.

He described Smith’s reaction as wildly excessive, comparing his television persona to a movie villain.

“What in the movie villain f— is Stephen A. doing here?” Griffin asked after showing a clip of Smith.

His broader criticism was that Smith had made himself part of the story rather than simply discussing the player. Griffin also revisited Smith’s controversial 2014 comments about domestic violence following the Ray Rice incident, which resulted in an ESPN suspension.

His point was that the constant pursuit of opposing television arguments can lead commentators into territory where there really shouldn’t be a debate, and Griffin clearly believes sports media has become far too dependent on that format.

Shams and the insider business

Charania wasn’t spared, either. Griffin questioned the role of modern NBA insiders, particularly those whose primary responsibility is breaking news rather than covering teams on a daily basis.

He described Charania as someone who built his career around scoops without traditional beat-reporting experience. Then came perhaps his funniest line. “Ken’s job is beach. Shams’ job is scoop,” he said.

The reference, of course, was to the Barbie movie, but Griffin was making a serious distinction.

Insiders report transactions, injuries and other developments, often before anyone else. Traditional beat writers provide the day-to-day context, relationships and accountability that don’t necessarily fit into a breaking-news post on social media.

Griffin also questioned whether insiders face meaningful consequences when their information turns out to be incorrect. The criticism is debatable. Charania and other insiders do plenty of actual reporting, and accuracy is essential to maintaining credibility with sources and audiences.

But Griffin’s larger concern wasn’t necessarily that insiders exist. It was that their prominence has grown while the number of reporters regularly covering teams has declined.

A defense of beat writers

This was arguably the most interesting part of Griffin’s debut. He recalled an era when newspapers employed reporters who traveled with teams, attended practices and developed an understanding of what was happening beyond the box score.

Those jobs have become increasingly scarce as newspapers have reduced staff and shifted resources. Griffin argued that the disappearance of many of those positions created an information gap that insiders and television personalities have increasingly filled.

He believes fans have lost something in the process. His argument is that traditional reporting helps people understand athletes as individuals, connects communities to their teams and provides scrutiny when organizations or influential figures deserve it.

Griffin pointed to his own experience with the Clippers, noting that investigative reporting played a critical role in exposing former owner Donald Sterling’s conduct and ultimately forcing him to sell the franchise. That wasn’t accomplished through a debate segment or a transaction scoop. It required reporting.

Griffin also made clear that he isn’t calling for the elimination of insiders or television debate shows. He believes there should still be room for those formats alongside traditional journalism.

A different kind of NBA voice

The interesting thing about Griffin’s criticism is that he’s now entering the same media business he’s examining.

His new show is modeled partly after John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, combining humor, commentary and deeper examinations of sports-related subjects. That’s an ambitious approach for a former player, particularly one making his debut as a host.

But Griffin has long shown a willingness to poke fun at himself, and his first episode demonstrated that he’s also comfortable challenging some of the biggest names in sports media. Whether viewers agree with all his arguments is another matter.

Insiders aren’t going away. Neither are debate shows. Without a doubt, fans will continue to consume breaking news and outspoken opinions, often more readily than traditional reporting.

But there’s room for something else, too. Griffin’s message was that good sports journalism still matters, even if the industry hasn’t always treated it that way.

Coming from a former NBA star who spent years on the other side of the microphone, that’s an argument worth hearing.

Watch: What Happened to Sports Journalism? — The Stepback with Blake Griffin