Stephen A. Smith has expanded his résumé beyond his well-known sports commentary and a brief stint as a nurse on General Hospital. In the latest episode of Law & Order titled “Tough Love,” Smith has stepped into the role of sports agent Theodore Hunter, whose blunt advice to a client ultimately leads to his tragic and violent ending.
The clip, which has been circulating on social media since its Thursday night (May 8) premiere, sees Smith having an intense meeting with his client about serious changes that need to be made.
“You could believe me today or you could believe the bank when they come and take the keys to your house,” Hunter warns. “You gotta make changes, bro. By the way, I’m keeping my five percent. You ain’t getting that back.” As the tension builds, Hunter pushes his client to consider cutting ties with unnecessary people on his payroll, even throwing in a mention of LeBron James, with whom Smith has famously had a rocky relationship in the past.
“It’s time to be real,” Smith’s character says. “You ain’t LeBron.” See below.
In a recent interview with TVLine, the sports personality talked about how he landed the role and his desire to return to Law & Order, ideally playing a lawyer in a courtroom setting.
“I have a place in California, and I was there on business. I ran across a writer for Law & Order, her name is Pam Wechsler, and she said to me, ‘Oh my goodness, would you be available to do something for Law & Order?’” he recalled. “I said, ‘What? The Law & Order?!’ She was like, ‘Could you do that if we wrote something for you?’ I said, ‘Absolutely. Consider it done.’”
Speaking to the future of his role, he continued, “I really, really wanted to be a lawyer in the courtroom. But that requires an inordinate amount of days, you know, to commit to. And with my schedule, particularly this time of year with the NBA playoffs and everything like that, I don’t get a day off. So I really didn’t have the time to do it.”
However, Smith is down for his character to resurrect as someone else. “I’ve seen characters on Law & Order die and then come back a different character,” he said. “So I’m not ruling out the possibility that you’ll see me in a courtroom for Law & Order somewhere in the future. I’m still holding out hope for that.”
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