Sports
Kenny Smith's Sabrina Ionescu comments spoiled an otherwise great 3-point contest moment
The simple problem with Kenny Smith’s comments on TNT during the best moment of All-Star Saturday was they didn’t make any sense.
What Smith said as the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry edged out the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu in a made-for-great-TV 3-point contest was distracting because of its lack of logic and timing. We watched a fun sports Picasso, and Smith could strangely only talk about the canvas not being exactly right in his eyes.
Shooting from the farther NBA 3-point line, Curry, considered by most the greatest shooter of all time, barely beat Ionescu, 29-26.
“She should have shot from the women’s line,” Smith said immediately after Curry’s clutch shots. “That would have been a fair contest.”
Reggie Miller, TNT’s other analyst on the event, tried to bring the broadcast back on the rails.
“Why are you putting those boundaries on her? She wanted to shoot from there,” Miller said.
Smith kept going, adding, “She should have shot from the line. There is a women’s tee in golf and there is a men’s tee for a reason.”
Everyone watching was more than ready to tap out of this conversation, but then it got extra odd with Miller adding, “According to you, you want her to be playing with dolls.”
Smith said, “No, I want her to shoot from where you shoot from. And there is nothing wrong with playing with dolls.”
It is not outlandish to suggest that each shooter should fire from within the guidelines of their league’s rules. But this is pregame chatter, not something in the middle of a nice moment. And Ionescu herself wanted to shoot from NBA range.
What Smith said demeaned Ionescu’s outstanding performance. If she had just competed in the regular NBA 3-point contest Saturday night, her 26-point performance would have tied the champion Damian Lillard’s score in the final round.
If that had happened, the immediate reaction wouldn’t be, “Should she have shot from in closer?”
Smith and TNT’s issue the whole night was too much Statler and Waldorf and not enough celebration.
We are all for criticism, but this was a fun event, and every moment doesn’t need to be compared as if it is up to some standard of the way past. We are all watching for the event. A broadcast is not Twitter/X, where you go to complain about everything (although Smith and Miller were dead-on concerning the legendarily bad dunk contest judges.)
Smith is an important part of the most iconic studio show of all time, “Inside the NBA.” What makes it the best — well, besides Charles Barkley — is that the panelists will curmudgeonly say anything about the NBA, or each other, or the world. That works because a studio show is a blank slate to create sports TV art.
On Saturday night, we were all enjoying the pictures on our screen. With women’s hoops having what very well could be a renaissance moment, led by Caitlin Clark, here we were on the biggest professional stage, with the man considered the best shooter of all time squaring off against Ionescu.
It was a wonderful moment for basketball. That was what Smith missed.
In that moment, when Ionescu went shot for shot with the king, the commentary should have reflected the competition. Smith’s intentions may not have been bad, but, unlike Ionescu, he just missed the moment.
GO DEEPER
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(Photo of Kenny Smith: Jamie Schwaberow / NBAE via Getty Images)
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The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team may still make the NCAA Tournament, but Dick Vitale thinks this iconic program should be much better than their 19-12 record this season considering their whopping $22 million roster.
The legendary ESPN college basketball analyst didn’t hold back his feelings about the Wildcats as they played Florida during Saturday’s prime SEC matchup. After the Gators hit some free throws to extend their first-half lead to 26-19, Vitale started to lay into the Wildcats.
Head coach Mark Pope of the Kentucky Wildcats in a game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats on March 7, 2026, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire)
“I’m going to say this right here, I’ve done several Kentucky games, win or lose, $22 million this team [which has been reported] in terms of the NIL for their players,” he said, per Awful Announcing. “I think in $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do.”
The Wildcats ended up losing by a score of 84-77, and Vitale continued about Kentucky near the end of their 12th loss of the season.
“I’ll tell you one thing, you don’t want to walk out of here thinking you got a moral victory,” Vitale said, referencing a hard-fought game against the No. 5-ranked Florida team. “Moral victories don’t count at this level of basketball. And you hear some of the people, ‘We played them close. We played them tough.’
“The bottom line is you’re Kentucky. You’re Kentucky. And you’ve got to leave here with a win, especially at home. There are no moral victories. Come on. I don’t want to hear that.”
Collin Chandler and Jasper Johnson of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate in the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Rupp Arena on Jan. 24, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The Wildcats were once the top program in the country under former Coach John Calipari, who left for Arkansas after being unable to make a long March Madness run in recent seasons, including a shocking first round upset to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have been coached by Mark Pope since, and they made the Sweet 16 in last year’s tournament before losing to Tennessee.
Kentucky Jasper Johnson in action vs Michigan State at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Nov. 18, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated )
But this year, Kentucky is 10-8 in SEC play, and now face the No. 9 seed in the upcoming tournament this week. The winner of each conference earns a tournament berth, but the Wildcats know good seeding in the NCAA Tournament requires a strong run heading into Selection Sunday this upcoming weekend.
The Wildcats will start their SEC Tournament play on Wednesday against No. 16 LSU.
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The Chargers bolstered their efforts to protect quarterback Justin Herbert all while diversifying their offense by agreeing to a multiyear deal with veteran fullback Alec Ingold on Sunday, the team announced.
Ingold’s deal with the Chargers reportedly is for two years and $7.5 million.
Ingold will be no stranger to the Chargers’ plans on offense. He played the past four seasons in Miami under coach Mike McDaniel, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator. Last year he caught eight passes for 52 yards and ran the ball twice in 17 games.
Ingold caught 47 passes for 372 yards and rushed for 34 yards in 20 carries in four seasons with the Dolphins. He also had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.
Before his time in Miami, Ingold played three seasons with the Raiders.
The deal comes two days after the Chargers signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz to take over for the retiring Bradley Bozeman. They agreed to terms on a one-year deal with edge rusher Khalil Mack on Saturday.
With the free agency negotiation period set to begin Monday at 9 a.m. PDT, the Chargers remain in strong position to be significant players in the free-agent market. They rank among the top-five teams in salary cap space, per Overthecap.com.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his fiancée, Sarah Jane Ramos, reportedly broke up with their wedding around the corner.
Prescott and Ramos’ relationship had been “rocky” in the weeks leading up to the breakup and things exploded between the two at their joint bachelor and bachelorette parties, TMZ Sports reported on Saturday.
Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos attend the Farrah Fawcett Foundation Tex-Mex Fiesta on Oct. 30, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Omar Vega/Getty Images for Farrah Fawcett Foundation)
Ramos shared pictures of her trip with her friends on Instagram on Friday.
“I truly believe you can get through anything in life as long as you have really great friends. I love these girls so much,” Ramos captioned the collage of snaps.
Prescott was not pictured in any of the 16 photos and videos posted to her social media account.
Sarah Jane Ramos and Dak Prescott pose for a photo before Dak Prescott’s Faith Fight Finish Foundation Gala on May 17, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images for Faith Fight Finish Foundation)
Ramos also posted photos of her bridal shower back on Feb. 23. There were no photos of Prescott in the carousel either.
“The most intimate and beautiful bridal shower of my dreams,” she added on Instagram. “So grateful for my aunts who hosted it and my girlfriends and family that came to celebrate. I love you all so much and can’t wait to marry the love of my life with all of you by my side.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Prescott’s representative for comment.
Prescott posted a series of photos on his Instagram of Ramos and his family on July 20, 2025. There’s only a September advertisement posted on his account since.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos pose on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts on Feb. 5, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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The NFL star and Ramos announced they were engaged on Oct. 18, 2024. The couple have two children together.
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