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Stephen A. Smith Breaks Silence On 'Unprofessional' NBA Finals Move

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 10:33 AM ET

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith went viral for the wrong reasons during Friday night's game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.

For starters, a fan sitting courtside for Game 4 of the NBA Finals was wearing a "Dumb and Dumber" costume with Smith's face plastered on it. And yet, that wasn't the main headline involving the "First Take" analyst.

During the second half of Game 4, an NBA fan posted a video of Smith playing solitaire in the arena. It was a pretty awful look for someone who's covering this series.

As you'd expect, countless NBA fans ripped Smith's behavior. They accused him of being "disrespectful" to the Thunder and Pacers.

"There is no excuse for this...how are you playing solitaire during the NBA Finals," one fan said.

"How can you have all of these opinions while you’re playing solitaire instead of watching the game," another fan asked.

On Friday night, Smith addressed the photo of him playing solitaire. His response was interesting to say the least.

"Yep! That’s me. Who would’ve thought….I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS," Smith wrote on X. "Hope y’all are enjoying the NBA Finals. This is going 7 games now, peeps!"

Community Notes on X issued an update on Smith's post. Let's just say he won't be too happy about it.

"Stephen A. Is lying," the note states. "This photo was taken during gameplay, NOT during a timeout."

"You’re a disgusting human not doing your job. You criticize other players for sitting out games but you’re on ur phone not doing yours. DISGUSTING," a third fan declared.

Yep! That’s me. Who would’ve thought….I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS! Hope y’all are enjoying the NBA Finals.

This is going 7 games now, peeps! https://t.co/nLdWJf5vqf
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 14, 2025