Stephen A. Smith is not too pleased about all of the “Solitaire A. Smith” memes.
The ESPN personality Smith appeared Tuesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio. During the appearance, Smith was asked about the moment when he was caught playing Solitaire on his phone while sitting in the media area during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Smith offered no apologies and instead fired back at his critics with a profane response.
“I was doing what the hell I always do,” said Smith. “And for those out there that don’t like it – kiss my a–.”
Smith also noted that he “watches over 100 games a year” and is “on TV every morning for two hours.” He then described his Solitaire game simply “a little break.” You can watch the full clip of his remarks here.
Even if Smith doesn’t like it though, the criticisms of his viral moment are perfectly legitimate. At the time that he was caught, Smith claimed that he was playing Solitaire during a timeout. However, he was immediately proven wrong by a fan video which showed that Smith was playing Solitaire during live-ball action.
The criticisms of Smith would probably be far tamer if he was going on television and offering informed takes on the game. However, Smith often goes on TV and turns in low-effort pot-stirring instead (especially lately). As such, the Solitaire moment only confirmed in the eyes of many fans that Smith doesn’t pay as close attention as he should to the sports that he is covering.
