Stephen A Smith Exposed For Playing Solitaire During Pivotal Pacers-Thunder Game 4, Ridiculed By NBA Community

He has one of the loudest voices in sports media, but during a pivotal Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Stephen A. Smith was caught doing something that drew sharp criticism. As the action unfolded at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Smith was seen seated in the arena, casually playing Solitaire on his phone. What’s worse, he got caught lying shortly later.

Fans quickly caught wind of it, and the NBA community had a field day calling him out. To be fair, Smith is widely respected for his deep knowledge of league transactions, off-court drama, and behind-the-scenes relationships—that’s his lane. But his actual game-time basketball knowledge is concerningly low, according to many.

Moments like this expose the limits of his insight. His grasp of the Xs and Os—or even just staying locked in during a Finals game—has long been questioned. The scene earlier today in Indiana only added fuel to that fire.

Underdog posted a picture of Smith playing the popular card game on his phone while mocking him for his recent takes. The account took a dig at him, mocking him for his recent basketball-related takes. “Tyrese Haliburton isn’t a superstar,” and “Giannis is an underachiever,” the Solitaire-gamer had said.

Many hoop fans believe that Smith’s reputation has shifted from insightful analysis to simply being loud and argumentative. One fan, reacting to the viral image, joked, “He just knows how to talk.”

Some fans were more infuriated than others over the visual. One called him a “clown” for the stark difference between his on-screen persona and how he acts off-camera. Another user wrote, “It’s so obvious he doesn’t watch games, you can easily tell by his analysis.” 

Smith, however, did not try to deny the fact that he was playing Solitaire. Well, how could he? He got caught in 4K.

Instead, to control the backlash, he went on X himself and explained that he is capable of performing more than one task at once. “Yep! That’s me. Who would’ve thought….I can multitask. Especially during TIMEOUTS! Hope y’all are enjoying the NBA Finals,” he wrote.

Unfortunately for Smith, in this day and age, it’s impossible to hide. He claimed he was playing some cards during a timeout, right? A fan debunked that claim by posting another video that showed Smith swiping on his phone amid an Indiana offensive move!

While it’s understandable that some casual fans may not be fully engaged with the NBA Finals, given it’s a matchup between two “small-market” teams and lacks an established superstar like LeBron James or Stephen Curry, Smith doesn’t have that luxury. As a prominent media figure, his role is to inform and elevate the conversation.

This Finals series has already faced challenges. A Pacers–Thunder matchup may not offer big-market glamor, but it’s been highly competitive and rich with storylines.

Yet media voices like Smith, who shape the national narrative, haven’t done much to spotlight it. Earlier the same day, First Take focused on Antetokounmpo’s future, even with a crucial Game 4 just hours away. For a league hoping to expand its reach through small-market success stories, this kind of indifference at the top doesn’t help.