Kevin Durant Called Out Stephen A. Smith for Playing Solitaire During NBA Finals

In this story:
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith went viral for the wrong reasons during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers Friday night.
A photo surfaced online of Smith appearing to play solitaire on his phone during the game. Smith later responded to the photo on his X account and acknowledged it was him, saying that he can multitask and that the photo was shot during a timeout. A video surfaced that appeared to show he had the card game up on his phone during gameplay, so who's really to say for sure?
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant responded to the viral image with a subtle jab at Smith.
"C'mon Steve," Durant wrote on his Instagram story.
Kevin Durant’s IG Story. 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ltVMFIrtDG
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 14, 2025
Durant recently called out Smith about a take he had on the NBA's All-Star weekend where Smith said the league could do away with the weekend if another format change doesn't work and called out current stars for their lack of effort. Durant simply called those thoughts "dramatic."
The Suns star has been at the center of endless trade rumors as of late that his tenure in Phoenix could soon come to a close. On Friday, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania said there could be a trade involving Durant "in the next few days" with teams actively involved in discussions. He named the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets as the teams who have been the focus of the Suns' Durant trade talks.
We'll see whether Durant gets traded in the near future. In the meantime, he couldn't pass up an opportunity to dunk on Smith.
More NBA Finals on Sports Illustrated

Blake Silverman is a writer at Sports Illustrated, primarily covering the NBA and WNBA. Before joining SI in November 2024 as a breaking/trending news writer, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation and A10Talk. He’s an alum of both Michigan State and St. Bonaventure University, receiving a master’s degree from the Bonnies’ sports journalism program. Outside of work, he’s a husband, father, yogi and fairly mediocre tennis player who’s open to any tips on how to play defense in EA Sports College Football.