Stephen A. Smith Vows to Fire Back After NABJ Thumbs Down ‘Award’

At the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention in Atlanta, Stephen A. Smith was awarded a "Thumbs Down Award" at the Salute to Excellence dinner on Saturday night. The NABJ accused the sports and political commentator of a pattern of disparaging commentary towards prominent black women in politics, sports, and media.

The organization stated that such commentary reinforced harmful narratives and undermined fair and respectful representation of black women in public discourse. Smith responded on X/Twitter, stating that the NABJ had their chance to call people out, but his response was coming. He challenged the NABJ to identify specific examples of his "disparaging commentary" and to explain the process for determining Thumbs Down recipients, as well as what had changed since last year when he hosted ESPN's First Take at the NABJ conference in Cleveland.

The decision to pick a fight with Smith polarized the audience, with some attendees expressing frustration while others felt the controversy was unnecessary.