Stephen A. Smith received criticism when he was spotted playing Solitaire on his phone during Game 4 of the ongoing NBA Finals. Many questioned the analyst’s professionalism, while his competitors – most notably Nick Wright - used the opportunity to troll him.
Wright, a long-time LeBron James superfan, mocked Stephen A. Smith during an episode of First Things First. As his co-hosts were deep in discussion, Wright appeared to be distracted, glued to his phone.
“I don’t approve of this,” Kevin Wildes disapproved oWright’s behavior.

Before Wildes and Chris Broussard could grow more frustrated, Wright broke the act. After revealing that he was impersonating Smith, the panel was left in splits.
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“Solitaire, no good ... A guy can't multitask?!," Wright joked.
Smith addressed the viral photo through an X post shortly after OKC clinched a 111-104 Game 4 win to tie the series at 2-2. He justified the actions by claiming that he was multitasking.
Stephen A. Smith presents bold take as Tyrese Haliburton suffers injury
Tyrese Haliburton had an awkward fall in the first quarter of Game 5 between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The guard briefly exited the game. Although he returned, Haliburton struggled to make an impact, finishing with just four points, six assists, seven rebounds and three turnovers.
While fans expressed concern for the Indiana star, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith dished out an insensitive take.
“(Tyrese) Haliburton has looked awful, and I’m glad he’s injured,” Smith said. “I’m not saying I’m glad he’s injured, but I’m glad we got that as a rationale.”
It seems as though the injury is serious. His performance significantly dipped from his past four games in the Finals, averaging 17.8 points and 7.5 assists per game.
Following the Pacers’ 120-109 Game 5 loss on Monday, coach Rick Carlisle addressed Haliburton’s injury status and confirmed that Haliburton would be available for the critical Game 6 matchup. With that being said, he also acknowledged his star player’s compromised fitness level.
"He’s not 100%. It’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game," Carlisle said.
"We were concerned at halftime. He insisted on playing. I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half. But he’s not 100%. There’s a lot of guys in this series that aren’t."
With Haliburton expected to be limited by his injury, the Pacers will need strong performances from Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell if they hope to force a Game 7.
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