Photo: Stephen A. Smith/Twitter

Stephen A. Smith, known for his bold statements on the air, made quite a claim. The ESPN figure asserted that he’s more renowned than “most” of his beloved New York Knicks while addressing the team’s path to becoming genuine Eastern Conference contenders.

“They can’t get a star,” Smith, who’s a diehard Knicks fan, said during “NBA Countdown” on ESPN on Wednesday. “You had a chance. This is the mecca and stars come to visit, we never have any.

“Do you realize that there’s a legitimate argument that Stephen A. Smith is one of the big stars in New York?

“I am a bigger star than most of the New York Knicks. That’s a damn shame.”