Latest news with #solitaire
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith spotted playing solitaire on his phone during Game 4 of the NBA Finals
Stephen A. Smith was put in the hot seat on social media after getting spotted playing solitaire during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. The ESPN star was filmed playing the mobile game amid the action between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday night. The first picture of Smith playing the card game went viral after getting posted by Hoops Legion on X. Smith then shared the post, claiming he was multitasking. Advertisement "Yep! That's me. Who would've thought," The First Take host wrote. "I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS! Hope y'all are enjoying the NBA Finals. This is going 7 games now, peeps!" However, a video was later posted, showing that Smith had his solitaire game on amid the action on the court. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant posted the picture on his Instagram story with the words "CMON STEVE." Although social media users criticized the analyst over the video, Smith stood by his explanation. The 57-year-old posted a screenshot of a solitaire game with a stream of the Thunder-Pacers game at the bottom of the screen. Advertisement Smith's viral moment came as the NBA is under fire for the drop in ratings and lack of interest in the Finals. The association was criticized for the lack of special presentations to make the Finals different than regular season games. On Wednesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver joined Smith and the ESPN panel and addressed the drastic decline in viewership. While the numbers suggest poor performances on the airwaves, Silver suggested that the Finals are dominating the small markets involved. "It's an interesting time in society," Silver said. "We have two markets that are completely captured by the Finals. Every store you go to, there's signage. Everybody on the street is wearing team colors. I've been doing this for a long time; I don't remember it being two markets that feel so dominant to have these games." Advertisement Before Friday's game, Smith predicted that the Indiana Pacers would win the Finals series if they took a 3-1 lead at home. Unfortunately, the Thunder played spoiler by tying the series with a 111-104 win. The Thunder will host the Pacers for Game 5 at Paycom Center on Monday night.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"I can multi-task, especially during TIMEOUTS" - Stephen A. Smith lies while addressing viral photo of him playing solitaire during Game 4 of 2025 Finals
"I can multi-task, especially during TIMEOUTS" - Stephen A. Smith lies while addressing viral photo of him playing solitaire during Game 4 of 2025 Finals originally appeared on Basketball Network. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to watch Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. But while he was supposed to pay close attention to what was happening on the basketball court in order to analyze the game correctly, he was caught playing solitaire on his phone while the game was underway. Advertisement When the photo went viral, Smith immediately took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend himself by saying he was merely looking for something else to do during a timeout. "Yep! That's me," wrote Smith. "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!" Caught in a lie Another netizen roasted Smith with a video of the incident — it was clear that he was playing the card game on his phone while the basketball game was underway. Stephen A. then posted a second tweet — a screenshot of his mobile phone screen, trying to show that he was half playing games and half watching the Finals. Kevin Durant, one of the players who has been beefing with Smith for a long time, couldn't help but react by reposting the photo on his Instagram account. Smith infamously called Durant's signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016 the "weakest move" by an NBA superstar. Last year, he also questioned Durant's ability to lead a team and the superstar forward went on to call Smith a "clown." Smith vs. Haliburton Most recently, Smith beefed with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton after the latter criticized the NBA media after Game 3. Advertisement The Pacers star called out the NBA talking heads, saying most of them don't know anything about basketball. Even if Haliburton did not target a specific name in his criticism, Smith assumed that he was talking about him. Instead of answering Hali's comments with arguments, Smith boasted about his 30-year broadcasting career and warned Haliburton that many have criticized him, but no one has ever shut him down. "Unfortunately, a lot of guys are not as fortunate as I am from this standpoint," Smith said. "They have to talk to you. I don't get paid to talk to you. I get paid to talk about you. Whether I speak or whatever it is, you don't stop this train. It is a locomotive because, you know, we've been No.1 for 13 straight years." Unfortunately, Haliburton hasn't reacted to the video of Smith playing solitaire during Game 4 of the Finals. After all, he has more important things on his mind. Advertisement The Pacers allowed the Thunder to steal Game 4 111-104 after a late comeback led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The series is now tied at two games apiece. Related: "I didn't want to go out not swinging" - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on his historic fourth quarter in Game 4 vs. Pacers This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Stephen A. Smith accused of lying as video emerges after denial of 'embarrassing' act in NBA Finals
Stephen A. Smith has been accused of lying after video emerged of him playing soliatire on his phone during the NBA Finals, where he was working for ESPN. Smith, who earlier this year signed a $100million ESPN contract, was at first only pictured playing on his phone during the game and he insisted it had been taken during a timeout. But now, video has surfaced showing the NBA Finals game between Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers being played in front of him while he was glued to his phone. The ESPN man had defiantly shot down suggestions he wasn't being professional on Friday night, saying on X: '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!' That tweet now has a scathing readers' note which says: 'Stephen A. Is lying. This photo was taken during gameplay, NOT during a timeout.' Smith, who has not responded yet to the video, was tagged in a post by X user @BleedBlue1986, who wrote: 'How can you have all of these opinions while you're playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith?' He has been accused of lying after video showed him playing on his phone during the game The user then replied to his denial: 'Fool, this was you during game play. There's videos. You started this new round during timeouts.' Smith was also mocked by NBA great Kevin Durant on social media - the Phoenix Suns player shared the picture of Smith on his Instagram with the caption: 'Cmon Steve'. Durant wasn't the only one who was left unimpressed. 'That's embarrassing,' one user said about Smith's behavior in Indianapolis. 'He is a disgrace,' another fumed. 'And some of you believe he watches games in his free time from home. He can't even watch a game 4 NBA finals game in person,' argued a third. 'ESPN used to be serious but have become such a gimmick based sports network.' Later in the night, Smith shared a photoshop of his phone screen, showing last night's game alongside solitaire. It is all the more remarkable though because Friday's NBA showdown was a huge night of drama, with the Thunder beating the Pacers 111-104 to level the Finals at 2-2. The Thunder went on a gripping 12-1 rampage in the final three minutes to seize victory. Newly-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 35 points to lead all scorers, including a 12-for-24 mark from the field. Smith's embarrassing moment comes after he ramped up his feud with Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton, who appeared to throw shade at him earlier this week by saying: 'What do they really know about basketball?' After responding by calling him 'ignorant', the outspoken analyst continued about Haliburton: 'It just amazes me how cats can be sometimes. Win the damn chip, bro. 'In the first two games of this NBA final series, you had your moment with 1.3 seconds left. Other than that, you didn't play well.' Game 5 in the series is Monday night, back in Oklahoma.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Solitary sin as Stephen A Smith caught playing on phone in 'embarrassing' clip from NBA Finals
Stephen A Smith's credibility as a sports commentator is being questioned after he was seen playing solitaire on his phone during the NBA Finals on Friday night. The ESPN analyst was caught in the 'embarrassing' act by a home fan as the Indiana Pacers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Smith was working for the broadcaster on the night - meaning he was expected to provide analysis before, during and after the game. X user @BleedBlue1986 wrote: 'How can you have all of these opinions while you're playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith?' It was initially unclear whether the image was genuine or not, despite the photographer - Kimberly - insisting she took it during the third quarter. After it went viral online, Smith confirmed the picture is real. He responded on X: '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!' Yet Kimberly hit back in an instant, shutting down Smith's claim that it was captured during a timeout. 'Fool, this was you during game play,' she replied along with another picture of him tackling the card game. 'There's videos. You started this new round during timeouts.' Admission: After it went viral, Smith confirmed the photo is real and claimed it was taken during a timeout Footage shared by another user online appears to show Smith playing solitaire while Pacers and Thunders players are very much in action on the court. The First Take personality also poked fun at the controversy by sharing a mocked-up image of a solitaire game positioned just above coverage of Friday's Pacers-Thunder matchup. But NBA fans were far from impressed by his lack of focus on the biggest game of the season so far. 'That's embarrassing,' one user said about Smith's behavior in Indianapolis. 'He is a disgrace,' another fumed. 'And some of you believe he watches games in his free time from home. He can't even watch a game 4 NBA finals game in person,' argued a third. 'ESPN used to be serious but have become such a gimmick based sports network.' 'Bro don't even care about the game,' wrote a fourth. While one simply asked: 'Good god really???' Tears why u lying — ᴅ ʀ ᴇ ᴡ (@FeelLikeDrew) June 14, 2025 In the game itself, the Thunder went on a 12-1 run in the final three minutes of the game to stun the Pacers in a 111-104 come-from-behind victory, which has tied the NBA Finals at two games apiece. Newly-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 35 points to lead all scorers, including a 12-for-24 mark from the field. Smith's embarrassing moment comes after he ramped up his feud with Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton, who appeared to throw shade at him earlier this week by saying: 'What do they really know about basketball?' After responding by calling him 'ignorant,' the outspoken analyst continued about Haliburton: 'It just amazes me how cats can be sometimes. 'Win the damn chip, bro. In the first two games of this NBA final series, you had your moment with 1.3 seconds left. Other than that, you didn't play well. 'That ain't on me. That's on you, you know. And, oh, by the way, just in case he was talking about me, my brother, I'm not going away. 'I'm gonna be here for a while. So next year, and the year after that… I'm going to be here, and players far more accomplished and far more superior have made their efforts trying to call me out. How has that worked out?'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith responds after seen playing solitaire at NBA Finals Game 4
Stephen A. Smith responds after seen playing solitaire at NBA Finals Game 4 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia ESPN NBA Insider Stephen A. Smith is known for his strong opinions on the league, but now he's facing some doubts. Advertisement During Game 4 of the Indiana Pacers-Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Finals, Smith was pictured by a fan playing solitaire on his phone as the game played out. There was also a video a spectator recorded, which showed play going on in the background as Smith had solitaire open. The fan who took the photo said it occurred during the third quarter. After the game, Smith responded to the moment with a few posts on X as it became a viral topic. Smith claimed he was playing during a timeout and was multitasking. '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!' Smith posted. He then posted what appeared to be a screenshot of his solitaire app open with the game playing underneath. Kevin Durant even posted the photo of Smith on his Instagram story, which had 'Cmon Steve' written in small font on the bottom right. Many NBA fans criticized Smith for not being fully engaged during one of sports' biggest moments, especially with the platform at his disposal. 'This dude thinks he is so above the sport of basketball it is frustrating I would die to have a career that allowed me to go to the nba finals to cover it what a joke,' one account wrote in response to a viral post on X.
