Knicks Stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart Confront Stephen A. Smith After He's Brutally Booed

The New York Knicks have their NBA Championship ... and now stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart also have an apology from Stephen A. Smith, who showered them with hate during their early careers.

Here's the sitch -- Knicks stars and longtime pals Jalen and Josh held a live taping of their "The Roommates Show" podcast at the Infosys Theater at NYC's Madison Square Garden along with co-host Matt Hillman on Friday. They invited SAS onto the stage as one of their many surprise guests ... and he was greeted by roaring boos from the crowd.

It's no surprise -- Stephen infamously doubted the talent of Brunson and several NBA futures while they were playing collegiate basketball ... and continued when they were drafted.

Check the clip -- he infamously said during a live broadcast in 2016 that Villanova University "doesn’t have a real NBA prospect on this squad" -- Brunson, Hart, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo and other players who'd make it to the NBA were all on the team. And get this -- Nova even snagged the 2016 NCAA Men’s National Championship!

Fast forward to when Brunson signed with the Knicks in 2022 ... Smith continued his hate train, saying, "I’m tired y’all… JALEN BRUNSON ISN’T THE ANSWER. You creating this cap space to get Jalen Brunson? Is he KD? Is he Kawhi Leonard? ... You’re selling New York on Jalen Brunson?"

Clearly, his words didn't age well ... and Brunson and Hart confronted him on the stage at MSG, asking him if he can admit he was wrong. Smith admitted to being "beyond wrong" and even apologized to the entire Knicks organization.