How Stephen A. Smith Reacted To Derrick White Comparison

Stephen A. Smith caught a ricochet shot Tuesday night after Derrick White helped the Celtics notch a second straight win over the Hawks.

White deserved the national spotlight after logging 26 points and seven rebounds and playing great defense in Boston’s 119-106 victory at TD Garden. But Charles Barkley’s postgame remarks about White weren’t limited to the veteran guard’s standout performance. The Hall of Famer poked fun at White’s hairline and evoked Smith to drive home the roast.

The charismatic “First Take” co-host answered to the comparison made by Barkley and TNT colleague Shaquille O’Neal on Wednesday morning on ESPN.

“First of all, the first thing I did was text them,” Smith said on “Get Up.” “I said, ‘I’m gonna get both of y’all.’ They were cracking up, dying laughing, texting me back like, ‘We love you, man.’ Oh, I’m gonna get y’all back.

“Listen, Derrick White is a very, very good player. He’s also a very, very good man. I wish him nothing but the best. But I don’t think my hairline looks like that. I think it looks a little better than that.”

Time will tell if Barkley extends the Smith-White bit Friday night after the Celtics and Hawks play Game 3 of their first-round series. Tipoff from State Farm Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.