Stephen A. Smith Sparks NBA Finals Controversy—ESPN Star’s Shocking Courtside Behavior Leaves Fans and Players Outraged! League Officials Launch Investigation Into Friday Night Incident. What Really Happened Behind the Scenes? Exclusive Eyewitness Accounts, Unreleased Footage, and Explosive Reactions—Is Smith’s Career in Jeopardy After Stunning NBA Finals Scandal?

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith witnessed the Oklahoma City Thunder’s epic comeback against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, and yet, he didn’t seem entertained.

Smith was facing a lot of criticism leading up to Game 4 of the NBA Finals because of his behavior on ESPN’s “First Take.” He refused to close his laptop screen despite being told that it was shown on live TV. Molly Qerim was noticeably frustrated with his antics.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, a photo of Smith playing Solitaire surfaced on X during the second half of the Thunder-Pacers game. That led to countless fans labeling him as unprofessional.

“Why is he even there if he’s going to play solitaire,” one fan asked.

“Not gonna lie, if this isn’t during halftime or photoshopped, this is just diabolical and disrespectful,” another fan said.

“This is supposed to be a credible journalist btw,” a third fan pointed out.

Stephen A. Smith Under Scrutiny For Behavior At NBA Finals Friday - The Spun
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MAY 26: Stephen A. Smith reports from the sideline during Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Western Conference Finals on May 26, 2025 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

After the Thunder defeated the Pacers to even up the series, Smith went on social media to address this scandal. Interestingly enough, he didn’t deny that he was playing Solitaire.

“Yep! That’s me. Who would’ve thought….I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS,” Smith wrote on X. “Hope y’all are enjoying the NBA Finals. This is going 7 games now, peeps.”

It’s worth nothing that community notes added this message to Smith’s post: “Stephen A. Is lying. This photo was taken during gameplay, NOT during a timeout.”

ESPN hasn’t commented on Smith’s questionable behavior during Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

The NBA Finals will resume on Monday with Game 5 in Oklahoma City. Smith should be in attendance for that matchup.

Do you think ESPN should discipline Smith before Game 5 tips off?