Tuned In: Trump vs. Stephen A.

June 9, 2026

On Monday, Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game. And after Stephen A. Smith blamed the Knicks’ Game 3 loss on Trump’s presence, the ESPN star found himself in a war of words with the 45th and 47th president.

—Ben Axelrod

First Up

First at FOS: ESPN is bracing for another round of layoffs, which are expected to affect behind-the-scenes workers. Read the story.
The House Judiciary Committee is pushing forward with its review of the NFL’s compliance with the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. Read the story.
First at FOS: Saudi Arabia’s entertainment conglomerate Sela is suing Fanatics Studios over its handling of the Tom Brady–fronted flag football event. Read the story.
NBC’s Jason Benetti spoke with FOS about a variety of subjects, including how he balances humor and big moments in his broadcasts. Read the story.

Trump, Stephen A. Smith Escalate NBA Finals–Fueled Feud

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

While Stephen A. Smith has recently downplayed his political aspirations, he looked plenty presidential on Tuesday morning.

Opening the 11 a.m. hour of First Take, the ESPN star delivered a nearly eight-minute-long monologue intended to mimic a presidential address. With “Hail to the Chief” playing as he stood in front of an American flag, Smith criticized President Donald Trump, furthering an ongoing war of words focused on Trump’s decision to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday night.

“Our president showed up in New York City last night. And needless to say, what I feared would happen ended up happening,” Smith said. “The New York Knicks lost and obviously, I’m blaming him. Why am I blaming him, ladies and gentlemen? It’s very, 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.”

As Smith noted, he had already prophesied Trump’s presence could result in the Knicks’ 13-game postseason winning streak coming to an end in the lead-up to Game 3. Asked about Smith’s commentary following the game in the context of the 58-year-old’s previous political aspirations, Trump responded with a personal shot of his own.

“I think he’s a nice guy. But you need a certain aptitude to run for president,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to depart Manhattan following the Spurs’ 115–111 Game 3 victory. “You need a high IQ. I’m not sure that Stephen has that. I don’t think he does, actually.”

Addressing Trump’s comments about his IQ, Smith threatened to challenge him to a debate. He also referenced viral videos, which appeared to depict the 79-year-old president sleeping in his Madison Square Garden suite during Monday night’s game.

“Go online, look at the videos. I’m not going to accuse him of snoring because I wasn’t in earshot. But the brother wasn’t awake,” Smith said. “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? ’Cause you weren’t awake.”

Smith also noted that Trump’s attendance led to a significant increase in security, including the cancellation of fan watch parties outside of Madison Square Garden. To that end, New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a press conference Monday that the watch parties are expected to return for Game 4 on Wednesday, seemingly indicating Trump won’t be in attendance.

Still, Trump—who was briefly but audibly booed during the national anthem Monday—has yet to publicly confirm his plans for Wednesday night. And with the president having previously flirted with attending Game 4, Smith ended his faux address by advising him otherwise.

“It’s clear you need your rest, isn’t it?” Smith said. “The New York Knicks need it, too. Give New Yorkers a break. Stay at the White House, go to Mar-a-Lago. Go to Bedminster. Do whatever it is that you gotta do. Just stay the hell away from the New York Knicks for the rest of this series. Pretty please, with sugar on top.”

Shortly after Smith’s rant Tuesday morning, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported Trump is “not expected” to attend Game 4 due to “scheduling conflicts and obligations.”

The New Era of Sports Media

Tuned In, presented by Elevate, gathers the biggest names in sports media in one room.

Last year, we welcomed industry heavyweights—from Adam Silver and Rob Manfred to Jimmy Pitaro, Maria Taylor, and Stephen A. Smith—for intimate, candid conversations.

Joining us onstage this year will be NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman, MLS commissioner Don Garber, Elle Duncan of Netflix, and Pablo Torre of the Pulitzer-winning podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out. Also, college sports broadcasters John Fanta of NBC Sports and Josh Pate of Josh Pate’s College Football Show will sit down together to discuss the growth of college sports and its impact on media.

Additional speakers will be announced soon. Don’t miss your chance to be in the room with the people shaping the future of sports media.

Tickets are limited—register now to join us on Oct. 13 at The Times Center.

Around the Dial

Feb 6, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Pat McAfee on the Pat McAfee Show set at the Super Bowl LX media center at the Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Front Office Sports

Time released its list of the 100 most important figures shaping sports. While it features ESPN’s Pat McAfee and Shams Charania, Stephen A. Smith is not included.
The Athletic’s internal investigation of former NFL reporter Dianna Russini is still weeks away from concluding, according to the New York Post’s Page Six.
Omaha Productions and Togethxr are collaborating to produce Gamechangers: America’s Top 25 Female Athletes, an hour-long special for Roku that debuts July 2.
John Fanta will call the OT7 Championship—Overtime’s 7-on-7 high school football league—airing June 11–14 in Los Angeles on NBC Sports platforms.
CBS Sports production staffer Bryce Adair died in a car crash last week while working the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament in Ohio. He was 31.
“2026 is already a record-smashing year” for sports media consumption, tweeted Fox’s Mike Mulvihill. Total viewing of live sports across all networks is up 21%, he wrote.

Loud and Clear

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

“I don’t know if those B’s. Those might be Cardi D’s.”

—Charles Barkley made a quip on Inside the NBA, airing on the NBA Finals on ABC, as Cardi B performed at halftime during Game 3 of Spurs-Knicks at Madison Square Garden.