Stephen A. Smith Blames NBA Gambling Arrests On Trump

Stephen A. Smith’s love for debating has always been rooted in sports, but as he’s evolved, he’s dug his heels in deeper into politics. His latest hot take merged the two because he’s blaming the massive gambling ring that led to the arrests of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones, and others, on President Trump. “How many times, for one incident after another, have I said Trump is coming?” he asked during a First Take segment. 

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“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,” he continues. Smith makes the connection by saying Trump is already deep in the gambling world because he used to own casinos. He sees the world of sports increasingly engulfed by the government because of protests like Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl, and wouldn’t be surprised if the WNBA is next, purely out of revenge.  FBI Director Kash Patel was on Laura Ingraham’s show Thursday night and shot down the insinuation that Trump was in any way a catalyst in the investigation or arrest of the league-wide alleged participants. “That may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard from anyone in modern history, and I live most of my time in Washington, D.C. It’s right up there with Adam Schiff. We arrest people for crimes,” Patel said.  The drama stems from a major gambling-related sting in the NBA that began with the arrest of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in Orlando. It’s over his alleged involvement in giving bettors insider NBA info like game-time rosters and, at one point, even faking an injury to get taken out in the first quarter. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in a separate but related case Thursday morning as well for his alleged role in illegal poker games reportedly tied to the mafia. See social media’s reaction to Smith’s reasoning for the 34-person arrest below.

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