It’s apparently open season on Stephen A. Smith. Barstool’s Mark Titus teed off on the polarizing ESPN personality and also ripped the company for making its coverage of the Thunder-Pacers NBA Finals too Smith-centric. “I would have zero problem with anything Stephen A. Smith is saying or doing if he wasn’t on NBA Finals broadcasts,” … Read more
Jalen Brunson isn’t the only NBA star captivated by a certain reality TV dating show. Speaking to ESPN on Thursday after taking down the Thunder in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton revealed how watching “Love Island” with girlfriend Jade Jones has been part of his recovery from a strained right … Read more
What is better than one Smith? Two Smiths. Famous ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith and his daughter, Samantha, shared rare screen time together ahead of the Pacers’ 108-91 Game 6 trashing of the Thunder in Indianapolis. It seemed like Smith had no intentions of bringing his daughter on “SportsCenter” until co-host Elle Duncan invited her … Read more
Dave Portnoy pulled out a trump card to dunk on Stephen A. Smith. Portnoy chided the star ESPN personality for his recent Solitaire controversy during the NBA Finals while calling him out on X for his opinion that Fever phenom Caitlin Clark can be an instigator, and saying she set off the drama with rival … Read more
Monday’s Game 5 recap of the NBA Finals took an interesting pivot on “SportsCenter.” When discussing the Thunder’s 120-109 home win over the Pacers, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins playfully chided fellow analyst Richard Jefferson over an exchange he was having with Perkins’ wife, Vanity. “Were you just waving at my wife?” Perkins asked Jefferson, who was … Read more
Charles Barkley is ready to call this year’s NBA Finals in favor of the Thunder. Following Oklahoma City’s 111-104 road victory over the Pacers on Friday night, Barkley said the Thunder now have a huge advantage and called the series “a wrap” after the game. “Yeah, I think they are in trouble,” Barkley said of … Read more
Stephen A. Smith may not have played his cards right. The polarizing ESPN personality is being criticized for playing the popular card game Solitaire during the Thunder’s 111-104 road win over the Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday, with even rival NBA player Kevin Durant joining in on the mocking. Durant … Read more
Jade Jones modeled the winning look on Wednesday night. Before Game 3 of the NBA Finals tipped off, the girlfriend of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton took to her Instagram Stories to showcase the custom Indiana ensemble she rocked at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where the home team topped the Thunder, 116-107, to take a 2-1 … Read more
Mike Breen shared a heartfelt message Sunday to his ESPN colleague, top sideline reporter Lisa Salters, who missed Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers to tend to her ailing mother. Moments after sideline reporter Jorge Sedano provided commentary on the second half of the game, with Oklahoma City leading 59-41 … Read more
Tyrese Haliburton’s girlfriend seemingly had a tense exchange with someone in the stands during Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. Jade Jones, who made the trip to Oklahoma City to support the Pacers guard, appeared to argue with Thunder fans at Paycom Center, as seen in a video on social media. Jones stood … Read more
The NBA and ABC digitally inserted images of the Larry O’Brien Trophy onto the court during the broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, leading an array of reactions on social media — many of which made fun of the decision. Fans had taken umbrage with the fact that there were no decals during … Read more
ESPN’s top NBA sideline reporter will not be on the ABC broadcast of Game 2 of the NBA Finals Sunday night. Lisa Salters is missing the Thunder-Pacers matchup in Oklahoma City due to a personal matter, according to multiple reports. Jorge Sedano will fill in for Salters. Lisa Salters will miss ABC’s broadcast of Game … Read more
Doris Burke is receiving a lot of love this weekend. While at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park on Friday for the Women’s College World Series between Texas Tech and Texas, Richard Jefferson put out an endorsement for his broadcast partner. He joined the SEC Network pregame show dressed in a “My Favorite Broadcaster is Doris Burke” … Read more
Many fans were left without something after Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot in Game 1 of the NBA Finals — commentator Mike Breen’s signature “bang” call. Breen, who has been announcing the NBA Finals for 20 years, chose to forego the legendary call on Thursday, opting for the more generic — but still effective — “It’s … Read more
Tyrese Haliburton’s dad had a front-row seat to his son’s game-winning shot Thursday as the Pacers opened the 2025 NBA Finals with a thrilling comeback victory. Still fresh off the fan version of a suspension, John Haliburton — who has since returned to arenas following an on-court confrontation with Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier in the playoffs … Read more
In late April, Tyrese Haliburton was revealed as the NBA’s “most overrated player” in a poll of anonymous NBA players. A do-over of that poll may have a different outcome now that Haliburton has gone on an epic playoffs heater that includes a game-winning jumper to stun the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA … Read more
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said it was “sad” to see Wednesday’s report from The Athletic speculating on Doris Burke’s future in ESPN’s top NBA broadcasting booth before the 2025 NBA Finals tipped off. Prior to Game 1 of the Pacers-Thunder series, Carlisle began his pregame availability Thursday with a tribute to Burke, who is … Read more
Who really needs to see all of an epic comeback anyway? A local ABC affiliate in Indiana cut away with a little more than a minute left during the Pacers’ stunning 111-110 come-from-behind win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday against the Thunder to instead show the teasers for that night’s 11 p.m. … Read more
Tyrese Haliburton’s girlfriend made the trip to Oklahoma City to support the Pacers guard in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Jade Jones was especially hyped after Haliburton’s go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds remaining to beat the Thunder, 111-110, after the Pacers trailed by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. “3 … Read more
It looks like Shaquille O’Neal is wasting no time making himself comfortable at his soon-to-be new network. O’Neal invaded ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” set on Thursday minutes before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Pacers and Thunder. Midway through the show, O’Neal made his way onto the set and was met with tons of … Read more