‘Selfish, narcissistic’: Stephen A. Smith offers choice words for Trump’s appearance at NBA Finals

The ESPN broadcaster used a portion of Monday’s ‘First Take’ to question Trump’s attendance at the NBA Finals, despite his being invited by Knicks owner James Dolan.

New York City is anticipating the biggest basketball game at Madison Square Garden in nearly 30 years on Monday, when the Knicks host Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. However, many longtime Knicks fans are wary of Donald Trump‘s presence at MSG on Monday night and the extra security parameters (including a wall surrounding MSG) that have affected New Yorkers traveling to and from Manhattan.

One Knicks fan that is not excited to see Trump at the Garden on Monday? Stephen A. Smith. During a segment on “First Take” on Monday, Smith was asked about Trump’s presence at the Garden, and he summed it up rather bluntly: he shouldn’t be there.

“This president has no business showing up in New York City. I am dead serious,” Smith said. “It is selfish. It is narcissistic. It is ridiculous that he is coming to this game.”

He added that he would have the same energy if any other president were attending the game, including former Presidents Obama, Bush, Clinton and even Reagan. The added layer of security has prompted the cancellation of watch parties outside the Garden, requiring fans to arrive two hours before tipoff to ensure they can get into the building, and several blocks of Midtown Manhattan have been closed off to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Smith has long been criticized by public figures like Joy Reid and Matt Barnes for his attacks on Black celebrities and politicians, while not having similar energy for Trump or conservatives. However, his strongest rebuke of Trump has centered around these Knicks, and the cosmic good luck the franchise has been on since mid-April, as they’ve won 13 consecutive games, the second-longest such streak in NBA playoff history.

“If it causes the New York Knicks to lose tonight, I’m blaming him,” Smith told the panel, which included Michael Wilbon and Jay Williams. “I’m blaming the President of the United States! I’m gonna stay on that. And damnit, I hope the GOP loses votes because of it if we lose tonight! I’m gonna be against them. All of them! I’m telling you right now. We better not lose tonight’s game.”

He continued, “I’ve been fair-minded, down the middle as an Independent for a long time. Hell hath no fury like Stephen A. scorned if the New York Knicks lose tonight. I’m gonna be in their a— like back pockets, like white on rice. I’m telling you that right now. We better not lose tonight’s game! We were riding, we were flowing, and this man gonna show up to the Garden tonight. You gotta be kidding me!”

A “long-time” Knicks fan, Trump was invited to Game 3 and possibly Game 4 by Knicks owner James Dolan, who also owns Madison Square Garden. The venue was used for a controversial Trump rally in October 2024 and Dolan donated thousands to Trump’s re-election campaign. Trump regularly attended games at the Garden, including during the team’s last run to the NBA Finals in 1999.

“I’ve known him for a long time. I got married at Mar-a-Lago. I’m a member of Mar-a-Lago, and I support him as a friend,” Dolan told ESPN in a 2018 feature. “And you don’t have to agree with everything that he’s doing in order to support him. And he’s, by the way, our president, and I don’t understand people who wish our president to do badly. Why would you wish your president to do badly? It’s like wishing that your milkman will bring you sour milk.”

Trump’s appearance during Game 3 would make him the first sitting U.S. President to attend an NBA Finals game. President Obama attended the 2019 NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, but the game was in Toronto and Obama was a private citizen. During his presidency, Obama made occasional appearances at sporting events, none with the magnitude of the NBA Finals, and none in a heavily visited area like Penn Station or Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks, up 2-0 in the championship round for the first time in franchise history, look to take a commanding 3-0 lead versus the Spurs.