For reasons that only he can understand, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith fancies himself as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. While Smith tries to portray himself as some sort of centrist, Smith’s performance on Thursday’s First Take was so nutty it makes MSNBC look level-headed by comparison. According to Smith, the Mafia-related illegal betting and poker scandals rocking the NBA are part of some revenge plot hatched by President Trump against his critics.
Smith began, “We know what world that I live in, in terms of politics. How many times, for one incident after another, have I said Trump is coming. He's coming. I'm going to say it on national television again. Bad Bunny is performing at the Super Bowl and all of a sudden you hearing ICE is going to be there looking to engage in mass deportations.”
The fact that ICE is routinely at the Super Bowl didn’t matter to Smith. Nor did the fact that this investigation began under the Biden administration as he tried to portray the timing as suspicious, “Big night for the NBA Wembanyama put on a show that has now been smeared because we're talking about this story.”
Does Smith think the FBI should have waited longer than it had to protect the integrity of the NBA?
Turning to co-panelist Monica McNutt, Smith asked and answered his own question, “Why am I glad you're here, Monica? Because don't be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list. Because when you've got all of these protests that have been going out there and people that have been protesting against him and what have you, this man is coming. He's coming. And I've been saying it for a long time. And to me, this is the latest nugget of evidence that we're talking about right here.”
He then claimed that his hot take is obviously true and anybody who thinks otherwise is just putting their head in the sand, “That's not to question the legitimacy of the case. We don't know. We're all sitting up here and we're saying that we don't know. But anybody that has been around him, anybody that has talked to him, anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what's going on today.”
Smith’s factually-challenged diatribe continued as he turned to FBI Director Kash Patel, “I'm watching a press conference with the director of the FBI. Tell me when we've seen that. We've seen people, we've seen accusations before. We've seen athletes get in trouble with the law before. You don't see the director of the FBI having a press conference. It's not coincidental. It's not an accident. It's a statement and it's a warning that more is coming.”
FBI directors do indictment-related press conferences all the time and, again, Smith is omitting the Mafia angle to the story. This isn’t Barry Bonds allegedly perjuring himself about steroids.
However, Smith continued, “And that's what they're saying here. And everybody better get I'm just telling you it's as serious as it gets. This ain't the platform for me to get into it the way I'm going to get into it. But I've been saying he's coming. He's coming. Because in his eyes, folks try to throw him in jail. In his eyes, he's innocent. They try to put me behind bars. I'm getting everybody.”
Once again, Smith insisted that his rant represents mainstream opinion, “He's not playing. And so this in a lot of people's eyes, talk to people in the NBA, talk to people in the NFL, talk to people in the world of sports, they think this is like the tip of the iceberg. These are the kind of words that are coming out of people's mouths. It's not a surprise. It's very disheartening. It's very concerning. We don't know where this is going to go, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Everybody's better brace themselves because he's coming.”
If NFL and WNBA players are caught up with the Mafia in illegal betting then, yes, it should just be the tip of the iceberg.
Here is the transcript for the October 23 show:
ESPN First Take
10/23/2025
STEPHEN A. SMITH: We know what world that I live in, in terms of politics. How many times, for one incident after another, have I said Trump is coming. He's coming. I'm going to say it on national television again. Bad Bunny is performing at the Super Bowl and all of a sudden you hearing ICE is going to be there looking to engage in mass deportations.
The Super Bowl disrupting things. Big night for the NBA Wembanyama put on a show that has now been smeared because we're talking about this story. Okay, remember Trump has a long, long history connected to the world of sports because he had those casinos.
Where do you think folks will come in half the time? I'm not talking about individuals. I'm talking about the culture. When people want to go to a casino, when people want to gamble, when people want to party or whatever the case may be, this was his, kind of, connection to that. Why am I glad you're here, Monica? Because don't be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list.
Because when you've got all of these protests that have been going out there and people that have been protesting against him and what have you, this man is coming. He's coming. And I've been saying it for a long time. And to me, this is the latest nugget of evidence that we're talking about right here.
That's not to question the legitimacy of the case. We don't know. We're all sitting up here and we're saying that we don't know. But anybody that has been around him, anybody that has talked to him, anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what's going on today.
I'm watching a press conference with the director of the FBI. Tell me when we've seen that. We've seen people, we've seen accusations before. We've seen athletes get in trouble with the law before. You don't see the director of the FBI having a press conference. It's not coincidental. It's not an accident. It's a statement and it's a warning that more is coming.
And that's what they're saying here. And everybody better get I'm just telling you it's as serious as it gets. This ain't the platform for me to get into it the way I'm going to get into it. But I've been saying he's coming. He's coming. Because in his eyes, folks try to throw him in jail. In his eyes, he's innocent. They try to put me behind bars. I'm getting everybody.
He's not playing. And so this in a lot of people's eyes, talk to people in the NBA, talk to people in the NFL, talk to people in the world of sports, they think this is like the tip of the iceberg. These are the kind of words that are coming out of people's mouths.
It's not a surprise. It's very disheartening. It's very concerning. We don't know where this is going to go, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Everybody's better brace themselves because he's coming.
