Kyrie Irving debate ‘triggers’ Stephen A. Smith in another tense Jay Williams segment

Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams still don’t see eye-to-eye about Kyrie Irving.

During Monday’s installment of “First Take” on ESPN, the pair — who’ve argued about Irving on previous occasions — got into a heated exchange while discussing Irving’s reputation after the Nets traded him to the Mavericks.

Things escalated when Smith mocked Williams for saying the word “interesting” — and then Williams accused Smith of making his argument with Irving a “personal” matter.

“You’re the one saying I’m being sensitive, moaning and whining, but you’re the one that seems very emotional right now over the subject matter,” Williams said. “Come on now. I’m not sitting up here on national TV absolving Kyrie Irving of every decision. I’m just saying how it’s interesting to me, it just carries such a bigger momentum, in particular with you! Moreso than anybody else, Stephen A!”

Smith hit back with: “Jay, you know what? What I would ask you is, do me a favor. Stop telling us what you find interesting and just tell us what you feel. You say, ‘I find it interesting,’ you always say that! Say what you saying! What are you saying? What are you saying?”

Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams went at it over Kyrie Irving on ESPN’s “First Take” on Feb. 6, 2023. Twitter

That’s when “First Take” host Molly Qerim told Smith that Williams believes he’s “too occupied with Kyrie [and] too hard on Kyrie” — to which Smith said he had not spoken about Irving in the days leading up to the trade.

“How many times have I mentioned Kyrie Irving over the last few weeks?” Smith asked.

As Smith continued, Williams asked, “I’m not allowed to say what I find interesting?… I don’t seem to be the one being triggered right now.”

“Oh, I’m always triggered,” Smith said.

They went back and forth, with Williams saying “no you’re not” and Smith responding, “yes I am” multiple times.

Nets point guard Kyrie Irving dribbles past Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon at TD Garden on Feb. 1, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty Images

Things became so tense that Qerim stepped in and asked: “Alright, are we talking about Kyrie or is this personal?”

Williams then said that Smith’s argument “seems personal” with Irving.

“You of all people with all the interest you have, you’ve got the nerve to sit here on national TV & tell me I’m getting personal with a player?” Smith fired back. “… I don’t lose any sleep over Kyrie Irving… I’m passionate about the subjects that I’m passionate about. I don’t accuse you of getting personal when you talk the position you take.”

Stephen A. Smith and Jay Williams in a heated exchange over Kyrie Irving on ESPN’s “First Take” on Feb. 6, 2023.Twitter

Williams disagreed, saying, “You have accused me of getting personal… We’ve both got a lot to say.”

Smith then challenged Williams to speak his mind, but in an attempt to diffuse the situation he added, “I’m not in here for that. I’m on your show.”

Smith and Williams have a history of tense debates about Irving. In November 2021, Williams accused Smith of going easier on Aaron Rodgers than Irving about the athletes’ decisions not to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Last January, Williams and Smith sparred again on the topic of Irving and the COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, Smith accused Williams of being an Irving apologist.

(L-R) Markieff Morris, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets during a game against the Lakers at Barclays Center on Jan. 30, 2023 in New York City. Getty Images

In a March 2022 interview with The Post, Williams explained that his fiery debates with Smith are the real deal, and not “something manufactured.”

“So, what people are seeing is real-life passion,” Williams said. “Does that passion carry over sometimes to when we go off-air? It’s like ‘oh, okay, that was intense.’ But we also recognize that makes great TV because it was real. I think viewers deserve real s–t. They don’t deserve something manufactured.”

The Mavericks acquired Irving in a trade with Nets on Sunday — two days after the All-Star point guard requested a trade out of Brooklyn due to unsuccessful contract negotiations.

In exchange for Irving and forward Markieff Morris, the Mavericks sent forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Spencer Dinwiddie to the Nets, along with a 2029 unprotected first-round pick and second round picks in 2027 and 2029.

Irving bid farewell to Nets fans on Twitter early Monday morning, and thanked them for their support during his time in Brooklyn.

“Thank you Nets World fans and supporters for the Love on and off the court,” Irving wrote. “I will forever be grateful I got to live out my dream I had as a Kid with y’all. It will always be Love from me and my family.”