Stephen A. Smith says Alabama's Brandon Miller shouldn't have played amid shooting link, commends performance

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Following a career night against South Carolina, Alabama star freshman Brandon Miller was a major topic of conversation on Thursday. 

Miller has been linked to the death of Jamea Harris in January after police testimony tied his involvement by allegedly transporting former teammate Darius Miles’ gun that was used in the shooting. 

Nick Pringle, #23, talks to Brandon Miller, #24, of the Alabama Crimson Tide as they walk back to the bench during a basketball game against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Feb. 22, 2023 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. (David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Amid chants of "lock him up" against the Gamecocks, Miller scored career-high 41 points in the 78-76 overtime Alabama win. 

ALABAMA’S BRANDON MILLER SCORES CAREER-HIGH OF 41 POINTS IN OT VICTORY AMID ALLEGED TIES TO FATAL SHOOTING 

On Thursday, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith discussed Miller’s night on "First Take," applauding his on-court performance while disagreeing with him getting to play amid the controversy. 

"I will applaud Brandon Miller the basketball player, from the standpoint that to endure what he was enduring last night," Smith said. "And to go out there as a freshman and to put on that show on the road, absolutely showed a level of mental toughness that I believe NBA scouts, people on the next level will look at – assuming there’s nothing that comes from this from a legal perspective for him – they’ll look at that level of mental toughness and find a way to applaud that." 

Stephen A. Smith attends SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 9, 2023 in Phoenix. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

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