Stephen A. Smith’s Surprising Reaction to French Language

Stephen A. Smith recently expressed some interesting thoughts about the French language, and it certainly raised a few eyebrows.

During a broadcast on Friday, the well-known ESPN host revealed his excitement upon hearing colleague Chiny Ogwumike speak French. “I need to get a bit personal here,” he said, setting the stage for a surprising confession. “My life is good—really good, in fact. But, I have to admit, I’ve never dated a woman from France or anything similar. After listening to Chiney’s story, though, I found myself wondering, ‘What have I been missing? The way she spoke was kind of, well, alluring.’

That moment shifted the tone of the show, reminiscent of an old MTV dating program. Ogwumike, who hails from Texas and studied international relations at Stanford, greeted Smith with a “Bonjour,” before discussing the Timberwolves’ recent Game 3 win over the Nuggets and complimenting French player Rudy Gobert.

“I hope French speakers would be proud of how I pronounced that. Honestly, I’m more comfortable with Spanish,” she said, prompting Smith to joyfully respond, “You did it. You made me proud.”

Ogwumike expressed her admiration for Gobert’s performance against Nikola Jokic, noting that he limited Jokic to just 15-of-46 shooting over their last two wins. “The French player takes this matchup seriously,” she said, crediting Gobert for stepping up when it mattered.

After this exchange, Smith seemed to regain his composure, albeit a bit awkwardly, repeating certain phrases. “Anyway, anyway, let’s get back on track,” he said. “I need to say, when I look at Jokic seriously…”

This led to a moment of disbelief from host Thea Cornett, who covered her face in astonishment at the direction the discussion had taken.

The Timberwolves and Nuggets are set for a crucial Game 4 in Minnesota, with the Nuggets hoping to avoid falling into a significant series deficit.

Following Smith’s comments, one can almost assume a potential trip to France might be on his future agenda when he gets some free time.