Stephen A. Smith offers surprising apology to Kyrie Irving about COVID vaccine after watching Fauci hearing

Nypost · Aug 01, 2026 · 486 words · By Shane Galvin

Public Figures' Accountability COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Dr. Anthony Fauci's Testimony

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Public Figures' Accountability

Smith issued a shocking on-air apology to Kyrie Irving for blasting the much-maligned NBA superstar’s refusal to comply with mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021, which derailed the Brooklyn Nets’ season.

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Smith interrupted his scheduled vacation Friday after watching Dr.

Common ground

Anthony Fauci deflect questions from Congress about the origins of the pandemic — saying he “felt compelled” to issue a mea culpa to Irving who was ruthlessly slammed for deciding against getting the COVID shot.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public Figures' Accountability story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that That vaccine rule was later lifted by then-Mayor Eric Adams who created an athlete/performer exemption in March 2022?
How does this story connect Public Figures' Accountability with COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/01/sports/stephen-a-smith-apologizes-to-kyrie-irving-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 5

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 2

help

Claim 1: “That vaccine rule was later lifted by then-Mayor Eric Adams who created an athlete/performer exemption in March 2022.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

verified

Claim 2: “the 58-year-old said at the start of his near 20-minute monologue for the “Stephen A. Smith Show” on Siruis XM”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Stephen A. Smith was born on October 14, 1967, which makes him 57 or 58 depending on the current date (as of 2024/2025). However, there is no evidence provided regarding the specific 20-minute monologue on SiriusXM.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeremiah Smith (born November 29, 2005) is an American college football wide receiver for the Ohio State Buckeyes. As a freshman in 2024, Smith broke the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah_Smith_(American_footb…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stephen Anthony Smith (born October 14, 1967) is an American television personality, radio host, sports analyst, political commentator, and actor. He makes frequent appearances as an NBA analyst for E…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._Smith

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stephen Smith (February 19, 1823 – August 26, 1922) was a New York City surgeon and civic leader who made important contributions to medical education, nursing education, public health, housing improv…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Smith_(surgeon)

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “Fauci repeatedly pleaded the Fith Amendment during his testimony Wednesday”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains general information about Dr. Fauci and Senator Rand Paul, but does not contain any record or transcript of Fauci pleading the Fifth Amendment during testimony.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony Stephen Fauci (born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Murthy v. Missouri, 603 U.S. 43 (2024), originally filed as Missouri v. Biden, was a case in the Supreme Court of the United States involving the First Amendment, the federal government, and social me…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murthy_v._Missouri

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he is the chair of the Senat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_Paul

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith issued a shocking on-air apology to Kyrie Irving for blasting the much-maligned NBA superstar’s refusal to comply with mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the name 'Stephen', a movie, and Kyrie Irving's general biography. There is no evidence in the provided text confirming that Stephen A. Smith issued an apology to Kyrie Irving.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven series, the Eastern Confere…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_NBA_Finals

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven series, and a rematch of th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_NBA_Finals

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kyrie Andrew Irving ( KY-ree; Lakota: Ȟéla, lit. 'Little Mountain'; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrie_Irving

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “During the 2021-22 NBA season, Irving sat out 35 games, including all games at Barclays Center, due to New York state’s vaccine mandate.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions Irving was sidelined by the Brooklyn Nets during the 2021-2022 season due to the NYC vaccine mandate, but it does not explicitly confirm the '35 games' figure in the provided snippet.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Kyrie Andrew Irving (/ ˈkaɪri / KY-ree; Lakota: Ȟéla, lit.'Little Mountain'; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Asso…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrie_Irving

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Kyrie XI ("orbis factor")—a fairly ornamented setting of the Kyrie in Gregorian chant —from the Liber Usualis Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek Κύριε, vocative case of Κύριος (Kyrios), is a common nam…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrie

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Checkout the latest stats of Kyrie Irving. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/irvinky01.htm…

verified

Claim 6: “He also named other top-tier athletes who are owed apologies for their COVID-19 vaccine stance, including former Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tennis great Novak Djokovic, golfer Bryson Dechambeau and UFC legend Connor McGregor.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence confirms the identities of the athletes and that Aaron Rodgers supports Novak Djokovic's vaccine refusal, but there is no evidence that Stephen A. Smith stated these specific athletes are 'owed apologies'.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — James Charles Rodgers ((1897-09-08)September 8, 1897 – (1933-05-26)May 26, 1933) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Known as Jimmie Rodgers and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Rodgers

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert Jalal Saleh (born January 31, 1979) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Saleh

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 7: “It cost the 9-time all star upwards of $13 million.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

info

Claim 8: “was forced to relinquish just over 1% of his salary, roughly $381,000, for each game he missed for not complying with the mandate.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions Irving lost an estimated $11.4 million, but it does not provide the specific per-game breakdown of $381,000 or the 1% calculation.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Irving announced that he would forgo his final three seasons of eligibility and enter the 2011 NBA draft, where Irving was selected with the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.[32][33] He w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrie_Irving

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Irving was sidelined by his former team the Brooklyn Nets during the 2021-2022 season after famously refusing to adhere to New York City’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate, losing out on an estimated $11.4 mi…
https://www.alexjoneslive.com/2026/07/31/following-fauci-tes…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Yet he also exchanged words with one of them during the game in reference to the vaccine mandate. Some fans thought Irving should have gotten the shot so he could play, others supported him for standi…
https://www.aol.com/kyrie-irving-ready-leave-turbulent-07240…

schedule

Claim 9: “Smith, who survived a brush with COVID that landed him in the hospital on New Year’s Eve in 2022”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 10: “Dr. Fauci... pleaded the Fifth 111 times”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 11: “Irving was signed to a $34.9 million contract that season”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence does not contain the specific salary figure of $34.9 million for the 2021-22 season.

travel_explore

verified

Claim 12: “Dr. Anthony Fauci deflect questions from Congress about the origins of the pandemic”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the evidence confirms Dr. Anthony Fauci's identity and the existence of the lab leak theory, there is no specific evidence provided in the search results describing him 'deflecting questions from Congress' in a specific instance.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — A highly controversial hypothesis holds that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, originated from a laboratory. The scientific consensus is that the virus is not the result of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_lab_leak_theory

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White House COVID-19 outbreak was a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections that began in September 2020 and ended in January 2021 that spread among people, including many U.S. government officials, who …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_COVID-19_outbreak

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.