President Donald Trump got blasted by Stephen A. Smith, who accused him of going on a revenge against the NBA, in light of a recent arrest linked to controversial gambling activities.
In his commentary, the ESPN analyst linked the recent arrests and cases filed related to gambling activities in the NBA to President Donald Trump. According to Smith, people can expect more from the president on this front.
“Trump is coming,” Smith said. “He’s coming. 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. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Stephen A. blames Trump for the NBA arrests today. Crazy take. This investigation started long before Trump was president: pic.twitter.com/HA4JduWQhR
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 23, 2025
In a post on X, conservative political commentator Tomi Lahren clapped back at Smith with a sarcastic remark that shut down his allegations against President Trump.
“Yes, it was definitely Trump that motivated them to fix games and run an illegal gambling poker ring,” Lahren said in her post. “Stephen is so smart!”
Smith’s comments came after federal authorities arrested former NBA coach Chauncey Billups and current player Terry Rozier as part of two overlapping indictments alleging illegal gambling schemes that involve both game-fixing and rigged underground poker games.
The Department of Justice said one case accused six defendants, including Rozier, of using insider information and, in some instances, altering on-court performance to profit from bets. A separate indictment alleges 31 defendants, including Billups, ran sophisticated, rigged poker operations tied to organized crime families.
Prosecutors allege Rozier provided nonpublic medical and performance information that co-conspirators used to place hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent wagers, citing a specific March 2023 Hornets game where Rozier allegedly faked an ankle injury and exited after nine minutes to trigger winning bets.
FBI Director Calls Donald Trump Link to NBA Arrests “Dumbest”
FBI Director Kash Patel gave his honest opinion on analyst Stephen A. Smith linking President Donald Trump to the recent arrests that involved alleged gambling operations within the NBA.
In an interview, Patel simply dismissed the allegations from the sports analysts and reiterated his position as the director of the FBI, and his power in investigations and arrests.
“I’m the FBI director,” Patel said when asked. “I decide which arrests to conduct and which not to conduct. That may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history, and I live most of my time in Washington, D.C.”
Ingraham: Stephen A. Smith suggested this was revenge for the left wing activism of the NBA.
Patel: That may be the single dumbest thing that I have ever heard out of anyone in modern history and I lived most of my time in Washington D.C. pic.twitter.com/81q62gOwwU
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 23, 2025
Smith, in the past, has expressed both criticism and praise for Donald Trump, and at one point even got a thumbs up from the President for his plan to run for President in the coming elections.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
