Source: John Nacion / Getty
Stephen A. Smith literally got caught in 4K, but he’s still decided to stand on business.
Last week, during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, the ESPN pundit had an eagle-eyed view of the game. But instead of being fully engaged, a fan from up above caught him playing solitaire on his phone. He copped to it, and now he’s doubling down on a recent episode of Sirius XM NBA Radio.
“I was doing what the hell I always do and for those out there that don’t like it, kiss my a-s,” he said. Smith went on to explain that this is far from his first time playing the digital card during a live game.
“When I’m watching the game, I’m watching the game,” he said. “If there’s a break in the action —It could be a dead ball or a time out or something like that— I can play the game for two seconds.”
He continues on, defending his grueling schedule as one of the hardest-working men in sports television.
“I watch over 100 games a year, I’m on TV every morning for two hours, and that’s just one job,” he says before listing his other commitments like NBA Countdown and SportsCenter appearances.
Smith confirms that he did actually win that solitaire game and joked that he’s glad that’s all they caught him doing on his phone.
“I work too damn hard too long too many hours to be worried about what people think I’m doing for two minutes,” he ended the conversation.
When he was caught playing last week, the very critical host was suddenly the subject of people judging his actions during a game. He tried to claim it was during a break in play, but then video proved he was on his phone when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was on a fast break layup, and community notes on X further confirmed his lie.
Even social media lurker Kevin Durant posted the incriminating photo to his Instagram Stories with the caption “Cmon Steve.”
Smith’s moves are under a stronger magnifying glass than ever before because, just like the athletes he speaks on, he just signed a massive contract extension worth $100 million, making him the highest-paid on-air talent at ESPN.
He’s likely not going to face any punishment for his distraction, but it’s not a good look when one of the network’s most popular talking heads isn’t even engaged in the NBA Finals. Especially as fans have complained about watching two small-market teams being a snooze fest and nitpicking small details, such as the lack of Larry O’Brien trophy decals on the hardwood.
See social media’s reaction to Smith’s clapback below.