"When they speak you listen!" : Stephen A Smith gets brutally honest on Oscar Robertson's jab at Draymond Green, cites his revolutionary impact

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green caught some big strays during the All-Star Game on Sunday. The unapologetic power forward ripped the new format, complaining about the fact that players would only get to play a handful of minutes after all the hard work they put into being All-Stars.

NBA legend Oscar Robertson took a jab at Green, claiming that he was only there to pass the ball to Stephen Curry and that nobody cared about what he had to say.

With that in mind, ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith claimed that, as much as one could agree with Robertson or not, he has the stripes to voice his thoughts about any matter he chooses:

"There are figures in professional sports that when they speak, you listen. It doesn't matter what they say," Smith said. "Oscar Robertson is one of the greatest players to ever live. Oscar Robertson was the first person to average a triple-double for a season. He was the record that Russell Westbrook ultimately captured and eclipsed."

Smith went on to talk about how important Robertson has been not only for the NBA but also for major sports as a whole, which is why his opinions can never be overlooked:

"(He's) a person that's universally recognized as the father of free agency," Smith continued. "It was him who served as the President of the Player's Association from 1965 to 1974. It was him who filed the class-action suit against the league, who were hindering the rights of players. The freedom that the players ultimately have and exercise where you have the freedom to play for another team without that old team holding onto your rights into perpetuity (...), it was Oscar Robertson."

Robertson's impact on the game goes way beyond what he did on the court. He paved the way for the LeBron James or Kevin Durant of the future to exercise their leverage and make the decisions they felt were best for them and their careers.

That makes him somewhat responsible for what the league has become nowadays, for better or worse.

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The NBA is looking at proposals for All-Star Game

Whether people side with Robertson or Green, the fact of the matter is that the fans don't seem to be enjoying the product right now, at least not as much as they used to.

Ratings are down, and fans constantly complain about the new All-Star Game formats.

Some players, like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry, have come up with ideas and proposals to bring competitiveness back to the event. The league will reportedly consider add a 1-on-1 tournament with a $1 million prize. But at the end of the day, it will all hang on the players' shoulders.