"He's smoking at a gas station because…

“He’s smoking at a gas station because he’s about to blow up!” was a catchphrase of Stuart Scott (1965-2015) on ESPN’s SportsCenter. The saying means that a player is about to score some points (to be “on fire” or to “blow up”).

The saying has been credited on several websites to the Martin Lawrence television sitcom Martin (1992-1997). “Like a man smoking at a gas station, he was about to blow up!” has been credited to Stuart Scott since at least 2004.

Wikipedia: Stuart Scott
Stuart Orlando Scott (July 19, 1965 – January 4, 2015) was an American sportscaster and anchor on ESPN, most notably on the network’s SportsCenter. Well known for his hip-hop style and use of catchphrases, Scott was also a regular for the network in its National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL) coverage.

The SportsCenter Altar
Phrase Like a man smoking at a gas station, he was about to blow up!
Anchor Stuart Scott
Reference from Martin Lawrence’s sitcom Martin
Sport General

Rankopedia—Favorite ESPN SportsCenter Catchphrase
65. “He’s smoking at a gas station because he’s about to blow up!”
Stuart Scott
In reference to a player scoring a lot of points
From Martin Lawrence’s sitcom Martin

DVD Talk Forum
The Stuart Scott Sayings Thread!!!
Turd Ferguson
01-20-04, 11:21 AM
Here’s the running list I’ve got:
(...)
Like a man smoking at a gas station, he was about to blow up!

MLive (Michigan)
Top Ten ESPN SportsCenter anchors
By Hugh Bernreuter | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
on August 06, 2009 at 6:56 AM, updated August 06, 2009 at 7:18 AM
Mark Spezia’s 10 favorite ESPN SportsCenter Anchors of all-time
(...)
9. Stuart Scott—“Cool as the other side of the pillow,” “Boo-yah!”, “Just call him butter, cause he’s on a roll,” “Like a man smoking at a gas station, he’s about to blow up.”

Twitter
Wade Hilligoss
‏@whilligoss
My favorite Stu Scott phrase: “Like a man smoking at a gas station, he was about to blow up!” #StuStrong
12:47 PM - 4 Jan 2015

Twitter
KenFillmore
‏@KenFillmore
My favorite Stuart Scott catch phrase, “He’s smoking at a gas station because he’s blowin’ up.”
7:48 PM - 5 Jan 2015