LeBron James loyalist Nick Wright fires brutal shots at Stephen A. Smith with dramatic Solitaire joke: “A guy can’t multitask?”

Stephen A. Smith received criticism when he was spotted playing Solitaire on his phone during Game 4 of the ongoing NBA Finals. Many questioned the analyst’s professionalism, while his competitors – most notably Nick Wright – used the opportunity to troll him.

Wright, a long-time LeBron James superfan, mocked Stephen A. Smith during an episode of First Things First. As his co-hosts were deep in discussion, Wright appeared to be distracted, glued to his phone.

“I don’t approve of this,” Kevin Wildes disapproved oWright’s behavior.

Before Wildes and Chris Broussard could grow more frustrated, Wright broke the act. After revealing that he was impersonating Smith, the panel was left in splits.

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“Solitaire, no good ... A guy can't multitask?!," Wright joked.

Smith addressed the viral photo through an X post shortly after OKC clinched a 111-104 Game 4 win to tie the series at 2-2. He justified the actions by claiming that he was multitasking.

Stephen A. Smith presents bold take as Tyrese Haliburton suffers injury

Tyrese Haliburton had an awkward fall in the first quarter of Game 5 between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The guard briefly exited the game. Although he returned, Haliburton struggled to make an impact, finishing with just four points, six assists, seven rebounds and three turnovers.

While fans expressed concern for the Indiana star, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith dished out an insensitive take.

“(Tyrese) Haliburton has looked awful, and I’m glad he’s injured,” Smith said. “I’m not saying I’m glad he’s injured, but I’m glad we got that as a rationale.”

It seems as though the injury is serious. His performance significantly dipped from his past four games in the Finals, averaging 17.8 points and 7.5 assists per game.

Following the Pacers’ 120-109 Game 5 loss on Monday, coach Rick Carlisle addressed Haliburton’s injury status and confirmed that Haliburton would be available for the critical Game 6 matchup. With that being said, he also acknowledged his star player’s compromised fitness level.

"He’s not 100%. It’s pretty clear. But I don’t think he’s going to miss the next game," Carlisle said.

"We were concerned at halftime. He insisted on playing. I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half. But he’s not 100%. There’s a lot of guys in this series that aren’t."

With Haliburton expected to be limited by his injury, the Pacers will need strong performances from Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell if they hope to force a Game 7.

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About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in the field with The SportsRush.

Advait has a love of basketball that stems from playing the game, and has represented Mumbai North at the Inter-District State Championship and Maharashtra at the ASISC National Games.

His favorite team is the New Orleans Pelicans, although Advait also has an affinity for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. His favorite player of all time was Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers legend's undeniable talent and mentality were just unignorable. As for players in the current game, Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, and Kyrie Irving are top of Advait's list.

When not watching or writing about sports, Advait is a fan of true crime shows, board games and console gaming.

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