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Stephen A. Smith Shares Blunt Response To His Solitaire Critics

Dan Girolamo Written by Sports EditorDan Girolamo
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Stephen A. Smith on the sidelines.

After being caught playing Solitaire during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith clapped back at his critics.

Stephen A. Smith Played Solitaire During The NBA Finals

Smith was in Indianapolis on Friday night covering Game 4 of the NBA Finals for ESPN.

While watching the game from the NBA Countdown set, Smith pulled out his phone and played a few hands of Solitaire.

Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal. However, Smith is one of the faces of ESPN’s basketball coverage, so everything he does will be dissected.

Add “Solitaire aficionado” to Smith’s resume.

X users had a field day with Smith’s Solitaire hobby.

Kimberly wrote, “How can you have all of these opinions while you’re playing solitaire instead of watching the game?”

Imagine a movie critic playing Words With Friends during a film or a theater critic playing Pokémon Go during Act 2 of a Broadway play,” Jono Barnes wrote on X. “You’d instantly discredit them right??? You can’t defend Stephen A. Smith for playing solitaire during the Finals. You simply can’t.”

Smith initially wrote on Twitter that he can multitask “especially during timeouts.” The only problem is Smith got caught while the game was going on.

Stephen Responds To His Solitaire Critics

During an interview on Sirius XM, Smith responded to his critics with three words: kiss my ass.

“I was doing what the hell I always do,” Smith said to hosts Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson. “And for those out there who don’t like it, kiss my ass. When I’m watching the game, I’m watching the game. If there’s a break in the action, it could be a dead ball; it could be a timeout or something like that; I can play the damn thing for two seconds. Somebody is standing over me, upper deck, zooming in on my phone, watching me, and saying, ‘Oh, he’s playing Solitaire. He’s not focusing on the game.’ I watch over 100 games a year. I’m on TV every morning for two hours — 10 hours live – every day. And that’s just one job. That don’t count Countdown. That don’t count SportsCenter. That don’t count all the obligations that I have.”

Smith explained how he always plays Solitaire during his breaks, especially during halftime or at the end of the game.

“If you have had a little break in between, I might’ve been playing it again because I like the game,” Smith explained.

Solitaire companies should capitalize on the momentum and offer Smith an endorsement deal.

Dan Girolamo Written by Sports EditorDan Girolamo
Dan is a multifaceted content creator who specializes in sports, pop culture, and entertainment. His entertainment work has been featured on Digital Trends, where he has interviewed Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alison Brie, Adam DeVine, Sadie Sink, Chris O'Dowd, Machine Gun Kelly, and Frank Grillo. Dan's entertainment work has also been featured on Coming Soon, Hidden Remote, and WatchMojo. Dan's other passion in life revolves around sports, graduating from Marist College with a degree in Sports Communication and Journalism. From columns about the latest in New York sports to gambling predictions, Dan continues to find success in written and broadcast journalism. Previous written work can be found at Unafraid Show, while broadcast clips can be seen on WAVE.tv and CBS Sports.
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