Stephen A. Smith Responds to Viral Solitaire Photo from NBA Finals Game 4

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith took to social media Friday night to explain the viral photo that showed him playing solitaire on his phone during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.

In response to the photo, Smith admitted that he was indeed playing solitaire, but he noted he was multi-tasking and said the photo was taken during a timeout:

However, a video circulating on X showed action taking place on the court while solitaire was up on Stephen A.'s phone:

Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant, who has had some public spats with Smith in the past, poked fun at the situation, re-posting the photo on his Instagram Stories and including the caption, "C'mon Steve."

Friday's Game 4 was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Thunder come from behind to win 111-104 and tie the series at 2-2.

Indiana entered Game 4 with a 2-1 series lead following a 116-107 home win in Game 3, and for much of Game 4, it looked as though the Pacers were going to get to within one win of securing their first-ever NBA championship.

The Pacers led by one point after the first quarter, by three points at halftime and by seven points through three quarters.

Indiana led by as much as 10 during that stretch, but OKC flipped a switch during the fourth quarter, taking its first lead of the second half with 2:23 remaining in the game on a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jumper.

Over the final three minutes of Game 4, the Thunder outscored the Pacers 12-1, evening the series as it heads back to Oklahoma City for Game 5 on Monday.

As is often the case, Gilgeous-Alexander was the star of Game 4. The reigning NBA MVP scored a game-high 35 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the field and 10-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line.

The Thunder also got 27 points from Jalen Williams, while Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton led the way for Indiana with 20 and 18 points, respectively.

Given the enormity of Game 4 and how tightly contested it was from start to finish, criticism of an analyst the stature of Smith being focused on something else is understandable and perhaps even warranted.

Smith is the most popular and recognizable personality on ESPN, though, which suggests he will continue to be at the forefront of the channel's coverage of the NBA Finals.