Stephen A. Smith was sitting courtside at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals, but he wasn’t focused on the game. Instead, a fan captured him mid-game playing Solitaire on his phone while the Oklahoma City Thunder faced off against the Indiana Pacers.
The viral moment started when a fan nearby took a clear photo of the ESPN personality engrossed in his phone during the live action. The post quickly gained traction, with some wondering if the picture was taken during a timeout. X user @BleedBlue1986, who originally shared the photo on social media, later included location data confirming it was taken while the game was ongoing.
How can you have all of these opinions while you’re playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith? pic.twitter.com/fqjnQLOHXU
— Kimberly (@BleedBlue1986) June 14, 2025
It didn’t take long for social media to react. One user commented, “No way ESPN pays him 100 million and he’s playing Solitaire.” Another referred to Smith’s previous remarks about Pacers’ star Tyrese Haliburton, saying, “’Tyrese Haliburton isn’t a superstar.’ Plays solitaire during the NBA Finals.”
Others found humor in the situation. “How many millions did ESPN pay SAS to cover this game?” one fan joked. Media personalities joined in as well. Barstool Big Cat responded with “Oh no!” while Portland’s Danny Marang tweeted, “If this is real, so help me God.” Winnipeg Jets writer Connor Hrabchak added, “After seeing this, ESPN just cut a few more talented people for Stephen A to have his own Solitaire show at 4:00 every day.”
The timing of the photo led to even more conversations. A fan sitting directly in front of Smith shared his image and clarified: “I’m sitting right in front of him. This isn’t during a timeout. It’s during the game.”
Later that night, Smith responded on X. He confirmed the image was real but said it was taken during a break. “Yep! That’s me,” he wrote. “Who would’ve thought… I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS!” He ended his post with a nod to the series: “Hope y’all are enjoying the NBA Finals. This is going 7 games now, peeps!”
Regardless of the exact moment, the photo quickly became one of the night’s most discussed moments, not for what happened on the court, but for what unfolded in the front row.
The post Stephen A. Smith claps back at haters for Pacers-Thunder Game 4 Solitaire picture appeared first on ClutchPoints.
