The FBI made several arrests on Thursday in connection with an alleged illegal NBA gambling ring, and Stephen A. Smith believes U.S. President Donald Trump was behind the latest development.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is facing charges related to rigged high-stakes poker games that were organized with the help of Mafia crime families. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested for his alleged involvement in “a scheme to defraud by betting on inside, non-public information about NBA athletes and teams” between December 2022 and December 2024. Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones has been charged in both cases.
Smith discussed the arrests during Thursday morning’s edition of “First Take” on ESPN. He suggested Trump was motivated to pursue the charges in part because of the recent protests against the president’s policies. Smith predicted Trump could go after the WNBA next.
“Don’t be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list,” Smith said. “Because when you’ve got all of these protests that have been going out there and people have been protesting against him and what have you, this man is coming. He’s coming, and I’ve been saying it for a long time. To me, this is the latest nugget of evidence that we’re talking about right here.
“That’s not to question the legitimacy of the case. We don’t know. We’re all sitting up here and saying we don’t know. But anybody that has been around him, anybody that has talked to him, anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what’s going on today.”
Smith cited the fact that the director of the FBI, Kash Patel, led Thursday’s press conference. The longtime analyst thinks Trump is sending a warning that he is going to go scorched earth on everyone.
“In his eyes, folks tried to throw him in jail. In his eyes, he’s innocent and they tried to put me behind bars, I’m getting everybody. He’s not playing,” Smith said.
"Trump is coming. He's coming…Anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what's going on today…this is just the tip of the iceberg" – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/gngy9qbPIG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 23, 2025
The biggest flaw with Smith’s logic is that Thursday’s arrests stemmed from an FBI investigation that spanned years. Joe Biden was in office when former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA for life and federally charged for his role in an illegal gambling scheme. Trump took office for his second term in January, and the investigations were ongoing well before that.
Smith has gotten more and more into politics since he signed his latest mega-deal with ESPN. It is very convenient for him to try to mesh politics with the NBA gambling scandal.
