“Where the hell did you find that?”: Stephen A. Smith loses it after Shannon Sharpe’s latest GOAT mask stunt

It doesn’t take much for Shannon Sharpe to sing LeBron James’ praise, and Stephen A. Smith was in the audience when Sharpe did so on Monday. The LA Lakers were crowned the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament champion on Saturday after defeating the Indiana Pacers 123-109, giving Sharpe more reason to proclaim James as the greatest basketball player ever.

On Monday morning’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Shannon Sharpe brought out his “GOAT” mask to commemorate LeBron James’ MVP win in the tournament. While co-host Molly Qerim was nearly in tears laughing, Stephen A. Smith could hardly watch the theatrics unfold and said:

“You are unbelievable, man. Where the hell did you find that mask?”

Qerim chimed in by saying that Sharpe was the first person ever to wear a mask on set.

If Sharpe is to be believed, fans and Stephen A. will be seeing more of the mask:

“I told you GOAT James was going to make several appearances!”

The mask may have come as a surprise for Stephen A. Smith, but it isn’t anything new for fans who have been following Shannon Sharpe’s career as an analyst over the years. Sharpe used the goat mask multiple times while debating Skip Bayless on Fox Sports’ Undisputed.

Stephen A. Smith praised LeBron James before In-Season Tournament final

When it comes to the NBA GOAT debate, Stephen A. has almost religiously maintained that no one comes before Michael Jordan. While LeBron James might not be the best in Stephen A.’s books, the ESPN analyst has kept reiterating that James is the second-best player ever.

Smith praised James’ longevity in a recent episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” which aired just days before the In-Season Tournament final:

“Obviously, LeBron James is approaching 39 years of age at the end of this month, his 21st season in the National Basketball Association, and he’s still the best damn player on the court most of the time!”

Stephen A. had some choice words for James’ LA Lakers teammate Anthony Davis:

“How the hell is he continuously more reliable, more dependable and more productive than the great ones, including Anthony Davis? What is up?”

We cannot be sure, but Davis might have heard what Stephen A. had to say. The eight-time All-Star had a monster game against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, as he dropped 41 points and 20 rebounds en route to the In-Season Tournament title.