Stephen A. Smith fires back at Trump for sleeping during NBA Finals

The war of words between ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and President Donald Trump escalated Tuesday morning. Smith publicly challenged the President after footage surfaced appearing to show Trump sleeping during Game 3 of the NBA Finals, a contest that saw the San Antonio Spurs secure a 115-111 victory over the New York Knicks.

The First Take Backlash

During Tuesday’s broadcast of “First Take,” Smith addressed the viral video of the President courtside. “Guess what he was doing during the game, ladies and gentlemen,” Smith said. “Go online. Look at the video. I’m not going to accuse him of snoring because I wasn’t in earshot, but the brother wasn’t awake. He wasn’t awake.”

Smith’s comments follow a heated exchange sparked by his previous critique of the President’s presence at the series. Smith had suggested that Trump’s attendance at the game could be blamed if the Knicks failed to secure a win. Trump responded to those remarks Monday night, telling reporters, “I think he’s a nice guy. But you need a certain aptitude to run for president. You need a high IQ. I don’t think Stephen has that.”

Smith’s Rebuttal

Refusing to back down, Smith questioned the President's commitment to the team he claims to support. “If it [is] that important for you to be there, why did you [look like] you were asleep?” Smith asked. “Didn’t you call out former president Joe Biden, ‘Sleepy Joe.’ What should we call you?”

Smith went further, claiming the President turned his back on the franchise he once held season tickets for. He labeled the appearance as one driven by selfish, narcissistic motives. The ongoing spat serves as a backdrop to a contentious moment at the arena, where the President faced mixed reactions from the crowd.

On the Court

While the off-court narrative dominated the headlines, the Spurs made a major statement on the hardwood. Victor Wembanyama paced San Antonio with 32 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, narrowing the Knicks' series lead to 2-1.

The loss marks a significant hurdle for New York, snapping a 13-game winning streak that stood as the second-longest in NBA postseason history. It was the Knicks' first defeat in 46 days; they had not lost since an April 23 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Since then, the Knicks had swept through Philadelphia and Cleveland before taking the first two games against the Spurs, leaving them just shy of reaching their first title since 1973.

The Associated Press contributed to this report for 205focus.com.