"This clown is feeling himself too much" - NBA fans roast Stephen A. Smith over wardrobe choice ahead of NBA Cup semis

Leading up to the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, analyst Stephen A. Smith, known for his striking red carpet looks, faced lighthearted jabs from fans for his black ensemble.

On the red carpet, the seasoned ESPN figure emphasized that he was asked to dress as he did and had no input in deciding his red carpet look.

"They asked me to dress like this. I just want everybody to know, everybody know how I feel about my wardrobe now. I dress a little better than this. Alright," he said.

The NBA community cracked jokes at Stephen A. Smith's expense.

"This clown is feelin himself too much. Needs humbling," one said.

"He’s dressed like an aviation pilot from the 1920’s who’s come back in time to battle the NJ drones," one wrote.

"Mf need to give up on that hair line," -another added.

Some fans also criticized the focus on media personalities like Smith, suggesting it detracts from the game itself, causing ratings to plummet.

"Viewership started plummeting the day media personalities began talking and walking around like they were the main reason viewers tuned into the networks they worked on to watch the games when it was simply just to watch the games," one wrote.

"And they wonder why ratings are down," -another added.

"No aura," one wrote.

Stephen A. Smith and Kenny The Jet Smith have free throw contest ahead of Emirates NBA Cup semifinals

Ahead of the Emirate NBA Cup semifinal games, Stephen A. Smith and Kenny "The Jet" Smith participated in a free throw contest in Las Vegas. The event generated plenty of hype, with Kenny vowing to shoot all his free throws with his left hand.

To prepare, Stephen A. trained with renowned shooting coach Lethal Shooter, which seemed to pay off. Kenny missed his first free throw, while Stephen A. made his opening shot.

With Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley providing commentary, both men missed their second free throws, and Kenny missed his third as well. Charles Barkley cheered Stephen A. on as he sank his third shot to take a 2-0 lead.

Once Kenny missed his fourth free throw, the contest was effectively over. Although both men made their fifth shots, Stephen A. emerged victorious with a 3-1 win.

Check out the full video below: