'Give New Yorkers a break': Stephen A. Smith torches Trump in 10-minute rant over Knicks loss
Popular sportscaster Stephen A. Smith promised he would blame President Donald Trump if the Knicks lost Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and that is exactly what he is doing. Slamming the President on ESPN, an incandescent Smith said that Trump's presence at Madison Square Garden doomed the New York Knicks to a loss against the San Antonio Spurs. He also took a dig at the President for allegedly falling asleep during the game, a claim stemming from several viral videos circulating online.
"I am not going to accuse him of snoring because I was not in earshot," Smith said. "But the brother was not awake. He was not awake! If it was that important to you to be there, why did you look like you were asleep? Didn't you call our former President Joe Biden 'Sleepy Joe'? Well, what should we call you? Cause you were not awake!" Smith said in his near 10-minute on-air rant. Smith also criticized the logistical nightmare fans faced on game day due to security measures put in place for the President's attendance.
Stephen A. Smith claps back at Trump:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 9, 2026
“The brother wasn't awake. If it was that important for you to be there, why did you look like you were asleep? Didn't you call out former President Joe Biden, 'Sleepy Joe'? Well, what should we call you?”
(via @FirstTake, h/t… pic.twitter.com/f5W7cUmoh0
"Our president showed up to New York City last night. And needless to say, what I feared would happen ended up happening. The New York Knicks lost, and obviously, I'm blaming him. Why am I blaming him, ladies and gentlemen? It's very simple. Because the President disrupted our mojo. I've said this on many occasions over the last 24 hours, and I'm saying it again. The man messed things up," Smith continued. He even accused Trump of "pretending" to be a Knicks supporter.
Responding to President Trump's "low IQ" jab directed at him, Smith said, "You wanna talk about IQ? I could say I could put my IQ against yours any day of the week." "I could ask you to debate me since you think you're that dude. We could go a myriad of ways, but I am not going to let you off the hook because none of that is important," the ESPN commentator added.
Stephen A Smith responds to Donald Trump calling him a low IQ individual on First Take:
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) June 9, 2026
“You wanna talk about IQ, I could say I could put my IQ against yours, I got something even better I could ask you why you been running from me for the past year since I asked you to talk to… https://t.co/iI1DpLjkRb pic.twitter.com/Edon6R1fzF
Despite Monday night's dramatic hiccup, the Knicks still hold a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals as they prepare for a pivotal Game 4 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
The Garden party was temporarily silenced in Game 3 when Victor Wembanyama erupted for 32 points, snapping New York's incredible 13-game postseason winning streak and lifting the San Antonio Spurs to a gritty 115-111 victory. President Trump is not expected to attend Wednesday's matchup.
