Due to his polarizing commentary on his ESPN show "First Take," Stephen A. Smith has often found himself in hot water with fans and athletes from various sports. His most recent controversy involved a tussle with the NASCAR world, and three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano has actively opposed him.

In late April, Smith made comments about how NASCAR drivers should not be considered athletes. He said, "You can be behind the wheel of a car in your 60s and 70s, for crying out loud.  A golfer is not an athlete. A NASCAR driver is not an athlete."

Logano, who had opposed Smith's stance during the Talladega race weekend and received a sharp retort later, has now made the ESPN analyst an offer. During a media interaction ahead of NASCAR's race weekend at Texas, reporter Dalton Hopkins asked him about Smith's response.

The Team Penske driver replied, saying, "He's kind of agreed with most of everything I said, right? You know, but again, until he comes to the racetrack and experiences it firsthand—shoot, I’d love for him to come to the racetrack. If you’re watching this, come on out. We’d love to have you here."

The #22 driver further added, "And once you get to that point, you educate your opinion about what a sport is really about and what we go through as athletes inside the race car, then you can go and have an opinion. But until that point, I don't know if it's worth talking about it too much."

Before this, Joey Logano had responded to Smith's original statement, claiming it was a stunt to stay relevant. To that, Smith replied by saying, "Let me speak directly to Mr. Joey Logano. I don’t know you from a can of paint. Why can’t I just have an opinion about NASCAR? Why do I have to be doing it to stay relevant?"

This debate also led NBA legend Michael Jordan, who co-owns a NASCAR team, to contact Smith via phone.

Michael Jordan intervenes to make Stephen A. Smith understand

Besides Joey Logano, Stephen A. Smith's controversial stance drew many responses from the NASCAR paddock. Michael Jordan, whose path has crossed with Smith many times, with both primarily being from the NBA sphere, was one of them.

During a recent episode of the "Stephen A. Smith Show" on SiriusXM Radio, Smith revealed he got a call from the NBA legend about the topic. 

"You know who wanted to correct me about the NASCAR thing? Michael Jordan," said Smith. "I argued with him! Because that’s how I feel! I’m being honest. That’s how I feel, that’s all. It’s not a crime. That’s what makes radio and sports talk."

Despite all this, Smith stands firm with the comments he made. Jordan's argument probably held weight in Smith's eyes, but maybe it would take the ESPN analyst to accept Joey Logano's invite to change his opinion.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak