Stephen A. Smith just can’t catch a break this week. First, he gets caught playing Solitaire during Game 4 of the NBA Finals—yes, during the actual game between the Thunder and Pacers. Then, Kevin Durant calls him out. And now? Even rival networks are piling on. Over at FS1’s First Things First, Nick Wright couldn’t resist throwing shade, slipping in a savage jab while discussing a baseball trade of all things. His co-hosts, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes, were stunned. SAS might be the face of NBA punditry, but this Finals week? He’s become the punchline, not just for his peers on air but even NBA Players.

As Kevin revealed how this show was upset about the Devers trade, Nick Wright’s gaze was fixed on his phone. Wright then exclaimed, “Gosh darn it!” before turning his phone to his colleagues. “Solitaire, no good,” he said as Chris Broussard remarked, “Oh wow! Oh wow! Shots fired!” in disbelief. Nick then jokingly questioned, “A guy can’t multitask?” 

Nick Wright’s cheeky roast of Stephen A. Smith couldn’t have come at a more chaotic time for the ESPN veteran. Just earlier, SAS was already under fire — not from fans or players, but from his own colleague. Jay Williams didn’t hold back on First Take, blasting Smith for calling Giannis Antetokounmpo an “underachiever” if he doesn’t surpass the one-title club. The heated on-air exchange between the two hosts went viral, adding fuel to the fire. Now, with Nick Wright throwing jabs from across the aisle, it feels like everyone’s taking their turn at SAS — and he’s stuck in the hot seat from all directions.

See, Jay Will wasn’t the only one to take exception to Stephen A’s “underachiever” comments. The Greek Freak himself was too pleased by what he heard. But Giannis didn’t fire back with scathing words. No, his approach was much subtler.

Giannis Antetokounmpo responds to Stephen A. Smith calling him an “underachiever”

9x All-Star selection, 7x All-NBA First team, 2x NBA MVP, and NBA Finals MVP. All this while bringing the NBA title back to the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time in decades. These don’t sound like the resume of an underachiever. However, that is exactly what label Stephen A. Smith gave Giannis Antetokounmpo. But the Greek Freak’s response was as classy as it gets.

On his Instagram story, Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a screenshot of a fan’s tweet defending him from SAS’s comments. “Giannis went from selling sunglasses on a beach in Greece, to a multi-millionaire who won a championship without having to run off and create a super team. He has overachieved his wildest dreams and anyone who thinks otherwise is ridiculous,” read the post on X. And Giannis simply reposted it on his IG story, supplementing it with, “💯💯🔥.”

See, we weren’t kidding about the First Take host’s inability to catch a break. Now, the takes he usually has, more often than not, open him up to criticism like this. Even so, calling a generational talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo an “underachiever” is just shooting yourself in the foot in front of millions of viewers.

Especially after getting caught playing solitaire during the most important time in the NBA calendar — the finals. Well, Stephen’s response to the debacle did him no favours either. Even so, this is all light work for Stephen A. Smith. After all, people calling you out left and right might seem daunting to us. But for the First Take host, it’s just a regular Monday.