On Tuesday's edition of ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith raised alarms about James Dolan as the new season began. Dolan, whom Smith has notoriously criticized for how he has handled Knicks business, blasted him for several decisions heading into the season.
"Let me put everybody in New York on blast. That damn James Dolan is getting in the way again. We have some concerns."
Stephen A. Smith shared his thoughts on Knicks ownership and a potential Karl-Anthony Towns extension 👀
(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/1iIt5Uh6v3
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 6, 2026
“Let me put everybody in New York on blast. That damn James Dolan is getting in the way again. We have some concerns. First of all, I don't know if it's news or not. Where the hell is the extension for Leon Rose? Where the hell is the extension for World Wide Wes, William Wesley? World Wide Wes and Leon Rose ended a 53-year drought and brought a championship to New York. Where's their extension? Where is it?”
Smith then turned his attention to the lack of an extension for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Article Continues Below“Number two, Big Perk, I'm not gonna tell you that Karl-Anthony Towns deserves the max. I understand that you got Brunson and Anunoby coming down the pike, but you don't disrespect that man by cutting him short by $77 million.
You don't do that. You give him a respectable offer. You give him an offer that says, ‘Okay. Listen, we need you to take this hit. Jalen Brunson took this hit. We need you to do it, too.' So it ain't 277. It might be 225, 227, something along those lines, because Brunson took a hit, too. You might not like it, but it's not disrespectful… First of all, he's worth the 277 million in today's NBA economy. It's just that in light of other people you have to take care of…right … it's gonna call for some level of sacrifice, but you don't disrespect him. Karl-Anthony Towns deserves more money, and most importantly, he deserves to be respected and appreciated.”
Smith also laid out his fear of Dolan not changing his ways despite the championship victory.
“I'ma tell you why New York has a problem, Big Perk, and I'll give it back to you. They got a problem because that same damn James Dolan that stunk up the joint for years running the New York Knicks franchise, finally after 27 years at the helm, won a chip. It wouldn't surprise me at all if his mentality is, ‘All right, I, I delivered a chip, so now we can wait another quarter century before we winning again.' He's the kinda person that'll have that kinda attitude and take that for granted, and that is my fear, Big Perk.”

