With the NBA All-Star Weekend going down in Houston the past few days, it would be wrong if Saturday Night Live didn’t bring back on Stephen A. Smith to it’s Weekend Update segment. Lucky for us, SNL’s Jay Pharoah brought back Stephen A. for the first time since last season’s NBA Playoffs.
Last summer Setphen A. discussed Miami Heat superstar LeBron James and his struggles with his team. This time around Stephen A. focused on the Western Conference and Kobe Bryant and his struggling LA Laker cast were front and center; fellow Lakers Steve Nash “a friend of Stephen A.'” which the two have “held hands through numerous hot air balloon rides,” Stephen A.’s “soul-mate” big-man Pau Gasol, and even Stephen A.’s “dear, dear friend” center Dwight Howard.
Pharoah’s Steven A. impression was spot on once again. Pharoah’s take on the ESPN analyst could very well be one of the best impersonations ever done on Saturday Night Live, and definitely my favorite. For a person who has seen plenty of Setphen A. on ESPN’s First Take I have to say, he’s very accurate. He has Smith’s facial expressions and mannerisms down to a T. Not only does Pharoah verbally have Stephen A. down, but he physically does with his terribly receding hairline too.
The highlight of Stephen A.’s segment had to be when he admitted to Weekend Update host Seth Meyers that he was present for the loss of Howard’s virginity. Smith told Meyers he was strapped to Howard’s chest by a baby bjorn, at this point the two were breaking down in laughter.
How good do you think Jay Pharoah did with Stephen A.?
Other NBA All-Star Weekend Notes
The Slam Dunk competition judges went SOFT. There were too many perfect scores given out this weekend. As years pass, it is harder and harder to come up with dunks worthy of a perfect score of 50 points. However this year the judges were way too lenient and gave out four perfect scores in the Team Round of the competition.
Tony Parker STILL hasn’t hit his shot in the Skills Challenge . The San Antonio Spurs point guard struggled in the Skills Challenge Saturday along with Atlanta Hawk up-and-coming guard Jeff Teague who missed a layup. Both earned scores over 45 seconds and more than ten seconds over their teammates. Both Teague and Parker were favorites picked by the TNT analysts before the event and both laid eggs.
Usain Bolt can dunk! The Fastest Man in the World does have basketball skills! Everyone knows Bolt is the best sprinter in the world, but he also can play a little soccer too. And now he confirmed that he can ball as well. Watching Bolt in the Celebrity Game was one of the highlights of the weekend.
