Stephen A. Smith Calls Foul on Trump's NBA Finals Appearance

Madison Square Garden is about to become ground zero for a traffic nightmare, and Stephen A. Smith is not holding back about who’s to blame. The ESPN personality unleashed on Monday’s episode of“First Take,”going after President Donald Trump’s decision to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at MSG on the evening of June 8, 2026. But this isn’t a political hit job—it’s a practical one about logistics, disruption, and priorities.

Here’s the thing: MSG isn’t some sprawling suburban stadium with acres of parking and room to breathe. It sits in the middle of one of the world’s busiest urban centers, already choking on traffic before you even factor in a presidential motorcade and Secret Service detail. Smith nailed the core issue—adding that kind of security apparatus to an already congested part of New York City isn’t just inconvenient, it’s reckless for the fans, residents, and workers who have to navigate the fallout.

What made Smith’s takedown so effective was his refusal to pick a partisan lane. He made it crystal clear he’d have the same objection if Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, or Ronald Reagan were the ones sitting courtside. This isn’t about who the president is; it’s about whether the president should be there at all. He even threw in a sharp joke about Trump’s supporters, suggesting they’d call it“perfume”if he“passed gas”—a dig at blind loyalty more than anything else.

Smith called the whole thing“selfish,”“narcissistic,”and“ridiculous.”He’s right that the event should be about basketball, not traffic jams or security perimeters or the distraction of having POTUS in the building. Game 3 of the NBA Finals is one of the biggest nights in hoops all year. The focus should be on the court, not on managing a presidential appearance and everything that comes with it. When the President of the United States shows up, the game stops being the main event—and that’s exactly the problem.

The question hanging over this isn’t whether Trump has the right to attend. He does. It’s whether he should exercise that right when the cost to everyday New Yorkers is this steep. Sometimes the most powerful move isn’t showing up—it’s staying home.