Stephen A. Smith had the opportunity to dunk the president donald trump after the New York Knicks won the NBA championship on Saturday night.
Passed.
Yes, really.
After the The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs94-90, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center, OutKick/Fox News Digital caught up with Smith and asked him if he had any response to Trump now that New York had officially ended its 53-year NBA championship drought.
Knicks players celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after winning Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. (Joe Murphy/NBAE)
Smith, who had spent several days talking about trump’s appearance at Madison Square Garden at the beginning of the series, he didn’t want to participate.
“The Knicks just won the title. I don’t give a damn about politics or anything like that. I don’t care. You could ask me tomorrow, you could ask me Tuesday. But right now, the New York Knicks just ended a 53-year drought. I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. And I’m not going to let anything stand in my way.” Smith said OutKick/Fox News Digital.
“It’s not disrespectful to you or anyone else. It’s just that those things are the furthest thing from my mind. I’m a lifelong New York Knick fan, born in the Bronx and raised in Hollis, Queens. [There’s been] one disappointment after another after another. 53 years have passed. And it’s over,” Smith concluded.
TRUMP TORCH PRESIDENTIAL HOPES FROM STEPHEN TO SMITH AFTER KNICKS LOSE GAME 3 TO TRUMP AT MSG
That was Stephen A. Smith, one of the loudest and most opinionated voices in sports media, who chose not to extend his public exchange with Trump because the Knicks finally won the NBA Finals.
Imagine that.
And, to be fair, it was probably the right decision.
Stephen A. Smith, left, refused to respond to President Donald Trump, right, after the New York Knicks won the NBA championship, saying he was focused only on the franchise’s first title since 1973. (Getty Images)
Smith had every opportunity to take a victory lap after New York shut down San Antonio. Knicks lose game three with Trump present at Madison Square Garden, giving Smith plenty of ammunition after he spent the pregame period saying he didn’t want the president there.
Smith said Trump “It didn’t have to” appear in New York City for Game 3. He argued that the president’s presence would create unnecessary chaos around one of the most important Knicks games in decades. He also said he would blame Trump if the Knicks lost.
Well, the Knicks lost.
and trump had an answer.
After attending Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, Trump spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington, DC. OutKick/Fox News Digital asked Trump about Smith, who has spoke repeatedly about running for presidentsaying Trump would be responsible if the Knicks lost.
“I think he’s a good guy, but it takes a certain aptitude to run for president,” Trump said at the time. “You need a high IQ. I’m not sure Stephen has that. Actually, I don’t think he does.”
Then, there was Trump, after watching the Knicks lose at Madison Square Garden, responding to Smith’s criticism by attacking his constant flirtations in the White House.
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Smith, of course, responded in kind.
The “First Take” host appeared on ESPN the next day with an American flag behind him and presidential music playing in the background and delivered a long monologue.
“If you want to talk about IQ, I could say I could compare my IQ to yours any day of the week,” Smith said. “I could do better. I could ask you why you’ve been running away from me for the last year since I wanted to talk to you. I could ask you to debate me since you think you’re that guy. There are so many ways we can go with this.”
President Donald Trump, left, and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, right, are shown in a split image after Trump responded to Smith’s comments about the Knicks’ loss in the NBA Finals. (Getty Images)
Trump later escalated the dispute Wednesday morning on Truth Social. calling Smith an “arrogant fool” an “individual with low IQ” and “dumb as a rock.”
Smith also continued to respond. He went on to talk about Trump’s appearance affecting the Knicks, New York City, and the overall atmosphere around the Finals.
In other words, this had all the ingredients of a dispute between sports, politics and the media that could have gone on forever. And it still could be.
But, for one night, the Knicks’ historic victory took precedence over a war of words.
Jalen Brunson put on a historic show, scoring a record 45 points in the Knicks’ Finals and leading the franchise to its first NBA title since 1973. For a fan base that had spent more than five decades waiting for another championship, that was the story that caught Smith’s attention.
Not Trump.
Not his own potential political future.
Smith has built an entire career on always having something to say. Hello discussions. He rants. He monologues. Find a way to become part of history.
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But standing inside the Frost Bank Center after the Knicks won the NBA Finals, Smith changed his approach.
No dunking Trump.
No victory lap.
There is no turning back to presidential politics.
Just a Knicks fan trying to process the fact that one disappointment after another was finally over.
Smith can respond to Trump tomorrow. Or Tuesday. Or when ESPN decides the dispute is worthy of another television segment.
However, for one night, even Stephen A. Smith decided it was enough for the Knicks to win the championship.
Imagine that.
