Last week, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith begged President Donald Trump not to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
"I don't want him there," Smith said. "It has nothing to do with politics, policy, or anything like that. It has everything to do with him disrupting and contributing at the same time to the chaos that's going to exist at Madison Square Garden."
To Smith's chagrin, Trump didn't listen. The president is expected to attend Monday night's game as the Knicks look to take a 3-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs.
Smith addressed Trump's attendance again on "First Take" Monday morning.
STEPHEN A SMITH BEGS TRUMP NOT TO ATTEND NBA FINALS GAME 3 AT MSG: "I DON'T WANT HIM THERE"
"This president has no business showing up in New York City. I am dead serious. It is selfish. It is narcissistic. It is ridiculous that he is coming to this game," Smith exclaimed.
He then reiterated that his stance has nothing to do with politics.
"I would say the same thing if it were Obama, George W., or Clinton. I don't give a damn if we went back to Reagan."
That's where we disagree.
Smith would not say the same thing if Barack Obama were attending the game. There is plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. For one, whenever Smith has questioned Black politicians, he has often followed up with a series of apologies.
Last year, he apologized to Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama simply for criticizing Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a fellow Black woman.
"Would Stephen A. have had the same take if Obama had come to an NBA Finals game?" OutKick founder Clay Travis asked on X. "I think there's a 0% chance."
"He's the world's highest-paid buffoon," OutKick host Dan Dakich added.
Further, Smith has spent the past nine months teasing a potential run for the White House. Are we really supposed to believe that if he became president, a possibility he claims is real, he wouldn't attend NBA Finals games if given the opportunity? Of course not.
And while Trump's attendance will result in heightened security, even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver views it as a positive.
"We're seeing that in New York, and I think President Trump is very much a New Yorker, and I'm thrilled that yet another New Yorker wants to participate in the enthusiasm and the joy around this Knicks team," Silver said last week.
Speaking of people who try to make a major sporting event about themselves, here's Stephen A. Smith ringside at WrestleMania last April:
It's also worth noting that Smith appears to believe he is important enough to influence Trump's decision-making.
These on-air pleas for the president to stay away reek of someone who genuinely believes his opinions should carry that level of weight.
Based on Trump's plans to attend Game 3, they don't.