Stephen A. Smith solitaire controversy: ESPN analyst under fire for playing phone game during NBA Finals

Gilbert McGregor

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Stephen A. Smith solitaire controversy: ESPN analyst under fire for playing phone game during NBA Finals image

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith is one of the busiest men in sports media, but he's under fire for picking the wrong time to take a mental break.

Smith and ESPN's "NBA Countdown" crew were on site at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers, an instant classic decided in the game's final minutes. Midway through the third quarter, however, Smith was caught focusing on a different game.

Various users on X (formerly Twitter) caught a glimpse of Smith's phone screen and noticed he was playing a mobile version of the popular card game, solitaire. There has been plenty of backlash in the time since, with Smith attempting to use humor to save face, while some big names in sports have taken notice.

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Here is what to know about Smith's mobile card game controversy.

Stephen A. Smith solitaire controversy, explained

During Game 4 of the Finals, X user @BleedBlue1986 posted a photo of Smith on his phone and said, "How can you have all of these opinions while you're playing solitaire instead of watching the game @stephenasmith?"

The photo quickly went viral and has garnered over five million views on the platform. Dispelling any notions that the above photo was doctored, a different user captured a Snapchat video of Smith, zooming in on him playing solitaire during game play.

Based on the above eight-second clip, Smith was playing during the third quarter as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breaks away for a transition layup. Smith, however, told a different story.

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"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."

And while Smith said he was "multitasking" during a timeout, the above video suggests otherwise.

Smith attempted to save face again by having fun with the now-infamous moment, sharing a screenshot of a solitaire board that also featured a picture-in-picture frame of the fourth quarter of the Finals.

The viral photo made it to the desk of Suns All-Star Kevin Durant, who shared the photo on his Instagram story while saying "Cmon Steve."  

Others, however, have been more critical of Smith's attempt to make light of being caught. Many have pointed out the state of sports media and the fact that Smith is paid handsomely to be ESPN's top analyst across multiple sports.

After handling the situation in a joking manner, Smith was largely away from the airwaves during the weekend. But he fired back at his critics during a radio spot on Tuesday.

Given his role with ESPN, Smith will have even more opportunities to talk about the situation, be it during "First Take" or Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Conversely, he could just pivot to playing a different mobile card game or switch it up altogether and go with something like Tetris. That much remains to be seen.

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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.