Stephen A. Smith Facing Backlash After Cameras Catch Him During NBA Finals
Stephen A. Smith Facing Backlash After Cameras Catch Him During NBA Finals originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
ESPN "First Take" and "NBA Countdown" host Stephen A. Smith has been, as usual, turning heads with his opinions on the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2025 NBA Finals.
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In particular, he took offense to Tyrese Haliburton criticizing the way people like him in the media cover the NBA. Before Game 4, he stated on "First Take" that "players far more accomplished and far more superior have made their efforts trying to call me out. How has that worked out?"
Then, as Haliburton and the Pacers battled the Thunder in a thrilling Game 4 on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Smith was caught by a fan's camera doing something that would be hard for even him to talk his way out of.
ESPN's Stephen A. SmithKirby Lee-Imagn Images
Social media users were furious when they saw the photo of the $100 million ESPN star that went viral during Game 4.
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A fan at the game looked down and took a photo of him appearing to play solitaire on his phone during the game. Though it was unclear when the photo was taken, the crowd in the background was standing up and appeared to be engaged in the action on the court, unlike Smith.
"How can you have all of these opinions while you're playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith?" the user said.
"This who @espn paying 100 million," said another harsh fan.
"They pay him to be an entertainer, not an analyst," another critic said on X. "When you look at it that way, it all makes sense. ESPN continues to be a joke."
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"Please let this absolutely explode, modern day media is TERRIBLE," wrote a jaded fan.
In the end, the Thunder evened the series at 2-2 with a massive 111-104 win before heading back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday.
Related: Fans Are Not Happy After Major Change During NBA Finals
Related: Caitlin Clark Earns New Nickname for What She Did After Pacers Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
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