Kevin Durant and Fans Troll $100 Million Stephen A. Smith for Playing Solitaire During NBA Finals

Stephen A. Smith signed a five-year $100 million deal to continue with ESPN as their lead basketball analyst as well as executive producer.

Kevin Durant and Fans Troll $100 Million Stephen A. Smith for Playing Solitaire During NBA Finals

Kevin Durant and fans troll Stephen A. Smith for playing Solitaire during NBA Finals' Game 4 (Image via FirstSportz)

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has vaulted himself to become one of the most renowned sports broadcasters in the country. He helms First Take, which has consistently topped the ratings charts. However, his analysis lately has frustrated players, and some, such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, have criticized them openly.

The Lakers 40-year-old superstar had to confront Smith for talking about his son, Bronny James, which then blew up into a back-and-forth beef as both sides tried to get the upper hand. At the end, James Sr. seemingly won the battle after the ESPN analyst resorted to some unwanted references.

Kevin Durant, on the other hand, has always poked at the 57-year-old analyst. The latest was when he called out Smith for a ‘dramatic’ take on the USA vs. World All-Star format. Smith, as usual, did get a chance to get back at the Phoenix Suns star, but after Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Slim Reaper received a chance and took it.

It so happens that a fan inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse posted a photo of Stephen A. Smith in the third quarter of the game. It shows the ESPN executive producer fiddling on his phone while the game is in session. What baffled Kevin Durant was when he saw what Smith was doing on his phone.

C’mon Steve.

Kevin Durant wrote on IG
Kevin Durant trolls Stephen A. Smith
Kevin Durant trolls Stephen A. Smith (Instagram/SS)

That response was because the screenshot shows Stephen A. Smith playing Solitaire on his phone. This is a day after the analyst started an unwanted beef with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, suggesting he was going to be there for a long time after signing a new contract with ESPN.

Fans take a shot at Stephen A. Smith and ESPN for Solitaire gaffe

Fans were not happy that a person who ESPN was paying $100 million would sit during a live game and play Solitaire. His job as an analyst is to analyze the game. Fans were left bewildered that he would not do the job he is being paid that much money and instead was playing on his phone.

Some wondered if it was ESPN’s producers who were telling him what to say whenever he was on their shows. Fans believe this was a disservice to the NBA, as he would not be doing this had it been in any other league. They took to social media to slam Stephen A. Smith, examples of which are below:

There have been many fans who are calling the NBA to have a word with ESPN about Stephen A. Smith’s attempts to make himself the biggest superstar at the expense of its players. It is unknown if the network would go to that extent, especially considering the power he has. At least that is what is evident with his response to this Solitaire gaffe.

Stephen A. Smith responds after being caught playing Solitaire

Smith’s power at ESPN and the Walt Disney Co. is evident as he is spreading his wings over other programs in the company’s portfolio as he looks to expand outside of sports broadcasting. Knowing that, he took to X to defend himself after being caught playing solitaire.

Complete photo shows Stephen A. Smith playing Solitaire whereas his ESPN colleagues are glued to the game
Complete photo shows Stephen A. Smith playing Solitaire whereas his ESPN colleagues are glued to the game (Image via Kimberly/X)

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

Stephen A. Smith wrote on X

He believes he was playing the card game during a timeout, proving that he can multitask on the fly. However, the person who snapped him playing clarified that it was during the game and not during any break.

Probably to defend his actions, the ESPN analyst also posted a photo of Solitaire with Game 4 on the same screen to show that he had multiple tabs open. But fans believe the $100 million man is using a doctored image to try and save face.

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