The 2026 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs have witnessed a lot of big moments. However, Game 3 at MSG hit with something that no one could have expected.
President Donald Trump made history as the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, and his arrival came with traffic gridlock, canceled watch parties, and a chorus of boos when he appeared on the Jumbotron.
Before the game, Stephen A. Smith had gone on record saying he would blame Trump if the Knicks lost. They lost 115-111, dropping to a 2-1 series deficit. When heading back to Washington, Trump questioned whether Smith had the intelligence or aptitude to ever run for president. That was all Smith needed to hear.
Stephen A. Smith Claps Back at Trump’s Low IQ Remark on First Take
GettyStephen A. Smith Takes Aim at Donald Trump After Knicks Fall Behind in Finals
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. How you doing? Our president showed up in 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,” Smith said, Via ClutchPoints.
Smith went through everything on First Take the next morning. The traffic jam stretching from 6th to 9th Avenue. The watch party outside MSG that never happened. Thousands of fans pushed out of the area entirely. Then he got to the part that became the clip everyone was sharing.
“If it was that important for 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?”
That line landed because Trump had spent years using “Sleepy Joe” as his go-to dig at Biden. Smith flipped it back without missing a beat, and the crowd’s reaction said everything.
Why Stephen A. Smith Said Trump’s NBA Finals Visit Hurt the Knicks and New York
GettyStephen A. Smith Takes Aim at Donald Trump After Knicks Fall Behind in Finals
Smith was not just talking about one game. He put Trump’s visit in a context that stung a little more for anyone who has followed this team.
“New York Knicks haven’t won a title since 1973. At that time, our president was 26 years of age. He was not a toddler. He was not a child. He was there. He was there in ’70 when Willis Reed walked through the tunnel. He was there in 1973 when Walt Clyde Frazier dropped 30 plus in a Game 7.”
Smith pointed out that over 3.5 million New Yorkers voted for Trump, making the whole thing feel worse. A Queens native who lived through every year of that 53-year drought had shown up and made the night about himself.
“And now the New York Knicks have to go back to San Antonio. Why? For a game five. Why? Because you got in the way for your own selfish, narcissistic motives.”
The Knicks still have home court with Game 4 at MSG, but the noise around this series just got a whole lot louder than basketball.
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