EA Sports Is Going To Ruin NBA Live 18 by Putting First Take and Stephen A. Smith in It

To me, that's preposterous. Video game hot takes, things of that nature.

Today in "Things No One Asked For But Will Be Getting Anyway": EA Sports' "NBA Live 18" will feature ESPN sports-shouting show First Take in it to provide tailored hot takes and debate about your virtual player's existence. And that means that it will officially be impossible to escape Stephen A. Smith even in a completely make-believe realm.

Stephen A and Max bring hot takes to NBA Live 18. Career mode includes First Take segments pic.twitter.com/GC0keeNCBf

— bryan jordan (@pastapadre) August 10, 2017

Yes, for reasons no one at all understands, this year's edition of NBA Live will feature Smith and First Take co-host Max Kellerman dishing on all the happenings in the game's Career Mode. In other words, your created player—the one you built and who is, in essence, your virtual avatar—will be subject to the same pointless, hypocritical and downright bizarre rants, word salads and takes that Stephen A. unleashes about real NBA stars every single day on ESPN.

But should I believe the hype? pic.twitter.com/hkWHLjkMtL

— bryan jordan (@pastapadre) August 10, 2017

Hopefully these segments can be skipped, and hopefully the game's designers found a way to recreate this moment in virtual reality.

STEPHEN A: Skip I want to ADDRESS this issue.
[BAYLESS nods]
You KNOW I am sensitive to the Holocaust
BAYLESS: Absolutely
STEPHEN A: BUT!

— *chuckles softly* (@Hegelbon) July 25, 2014

"NBA Live 18" (featuring cover boy James Harden) and Stephen A. Smith's yawps from the void will be available for purchase this December.