Stephen A. Smith is widely regarded as one of the biggest talking heads in NBA media. But based on a photo that emerged during Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Friday night between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, he may not be as engaged in the action on the court as most would expect.<\/p>\n
Smith was, of course, in attendance for Friday\u2019s game as a part of the ABC studio team on the call of the game. So naturally, most would assume that Smith and his colleagues would be paying close attention to the game in preparation of the network\u2019s halftime and postgame coverage.<\/p>\n
However, based on a photo from an Indiana Pacers fan in attendance of Game 4, that may not be the case. A woman named Kimberly posted a picture of Smith while the game was going on. In said photo, Smith appeared to be on his phone playing Solitaire.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can you have all of these opinions while you\u2019re playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith<\/a>?\u201d wrote Kimberly.<\/p>\n How can you have all of these opinions while you\u2019re playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith<\/a>? pic.twitter.com\/fqjnQLOHXU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kimberly (@BleedBlue1986) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Additionally, Kimberly posted an additional follow-up post showing the location on her phone from where the photo was taken, which indeed shows that it was taken from inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re gonna steal it, at least credit me. pic.twitter.com\/zLTeET9RxR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kimberly (@BleedBlue1986) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Naturally, this photo has garnered quite a bit of attention amongst media members on social media, who largely saw this as incredibly unprofessional.<\/p>\n \u201cOh no!\u201d wrote Barstool Big Cat on X.<\/p>\n Oh no! https:\/\/t.co\/86K6PbqDPN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\ude2c\ud83d\ude2c\ud83d\ude2c https:\/\/t.co\/2RdVNDXZUf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIf this is real, so help me God,\u201d wrote Danny Marang, a host at 1080 The Fan in Portland.<\/p>\n If this is real, so help me God. https:\/\/t.co\/g2TeI6r6G7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Danny Marang (@DannyMarang) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAfter seeing this ESPN just cut a few more talented people for Stephen A to have his very own solitaire show at 4:00 every day,\u201d wrote Winnipeg Jets beat writer Connor Hrabchak.<\/p>\n After seeing this ESPN just cut a few more talented people for Stephen A to have his very own solitaire show at 4:00 every day https:\/\/t.co\/8ZE3TBBu3Q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Connor Hrabchak (@ConnorHrabchak1) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Obviously, this is an incredibly bad look for someone who is solely there to analyze what is happening in the game and break it down for fans at home. But according to Stephen A. Smith, the photo isn\u2019t as big of a deal as some are making it out to be.<\/p>\n In a post on X addressing the matter after Friday\u2019s game, Smith admitted that this was a real photo, but that it was during a timeout.<\/p>\n \u201cYep! That\u2019s me,\u201d wrote Smith. Who would\u2019ve though\u2026 I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS! Hope y\u2019all are enjoying the NBA Finals. This is going 7 games now, peeps!\u201d<\/p>\n Yep! That\u2019s me. Who would\u2019ve thought\u2026.I can multi-task. Especially during TIMEOUTS! Hope y\u2019all are enjoying the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n This is going 7 games now, peeps! https:\/\/t.co\/nLdWJf5vqf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Unfortunately for Smith, further videos on social media indicate that Smith may not be telling the truth regarding the context behind the video. Maybe Smith was indeed multi-tasking, but he did appear to have solitaire up on his phone while the game was going on.<\/p>\n Tears why u lying pic.twitter.com\/oyVX0LlH8q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \u1d05 \u0280 \u1d07 \u1d21 (@FeelLikeDrew) June 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n \t