The Golden State Warriors have declined since their 2022 title, and there is plenty of real evidence to back that up. They have missed the playoffs twice, failed to get past the second round when they did qualify, and just ended their latest season with a play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns. None of that needed exaggeration.

But on Monday’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith exaggerated it anyway. ESPN’s ESPN Stephen A. Smith took direct aim at Golden State during his First Take segment on Monday, but a key part of his argument was flat wrong.

“They haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022,” Smith said. “That’s four years away from the playoffs.” Stephen A. Smith calls out the Warriors “They haven’t been back to the playoffs since that championship in 2022.

That’s four years away from the playoffs.” // The Warriors made the playoffs last year (h/t @awfulannouncing ) pic.twitter.com/BhIqoytMVn — NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 20, 2026 The claim was easy to debunk. Golden State made the playoffs in 2022-23 and reached the Western Conference Semifinals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. They returned again in 2024-25, beating the Houston Rockets in the first round before falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

They have missed the playoffs twice since 2022, not four straight years. Smith’s version did not just stretch the truth. It erased two playoff runs entirely.

The clip spread quickly on X, and fans immediately called it out. The reality is Smith did not need to stretch anything. After winning the 2022 title, Golden State went 44-38 the next season and exited in the second round, a noticeable drop from their championship level.

They followed that with a 46-36 record in 2023-24 but missed the playoffs after a play-in loss. In 2024-25, a revamped roster that included a Jimmy Butler acquisition reached the Western Conference Semifinals before the Timberwolves ended their run. This season ended again without a playoff appearance, a 37-45 record, and Steve Kerr now facing genuine uncertainty about whether he will return as head coach after 12 seasons and four championships.

Fans Roast Stephen A. Smith on X The clip spread rapidly on social media, and the responses reflected the specific frustration that comes when a factual error is embedded in a confident, high-volume take. One user wrote: “Actually insane that a person can be paid millions of dollars to talk about sports they don’t watch.” The underlying point is an old one about the economics of sports television, as Stephen A.

Smith’s salary is a product of his profile, not his research. IMAGN Another fan cut sharper: “He’s like he’s explaining his own decline, quite similar.” The fan drew a clear parallel. Smith, once known for sharp analysis, now leans more on volume than substance, mirroring the same decline he was criticizing in Golden State.

A third user came prepared with specifics: “Warriors were in the second round in 2023 and 2025. Stephen A. too busy at WrestleMania.” This is not simply a joke. Smith’s high-profile appearances at WWE events have become a recurring reference point when questions arise about where his preparation time goes.

The 2023 Western Conference Semifinals appearance against the Lakers and the 2025 run to the second round before they lost to Minnesota are both on the public record. A fourth response went straight to the brand: “Loud and completely wrong is the only brand Stephen A. knows how to sell anymore. Absolute clown behavior.” This comment captured a growing perception around Smith.

His brand now leans more toward performative certainty than informed analysis, where volume replaces accuracy. A fifth fan widened the frame to the network: “ESPN will only be respected again when they hire people who actually watch the sport they commentate on.” Whether or not that is fair to ESPN broadly, the underlying criticism targeted something specific: the gap between the platform’s authority as a sports media institution and the standard of factual verification its highest-profile talent sometimes applies on live television. This is not the first time a moment like this has happened.

Earlier in 2026, Smith mixed up NFL wide receiver Christian Kirk with political commentator Charlie Kirk during a live segment, quickly correcting himself but drawing similar backlash. That pattern is why clips like this gain traction so quickly. Fans are no longer reacting to a single mistake.

They are reacting to what they see as a trend. The Warriors’ decline is real. That is exactly why this moment stood out. It turned a valid critique into a viral example of getting it wrong, and in doing so, shifted the spotlight away from Golden State and onto the person delivering the take.