Stephen A Smith chooses not to like Trump following the Knicks NBA Finals victory

Stephen A. Smith had a chance to grill President Donald Trump after the New York Knicks won the NBA championship on Saturday night.

He passed.

Yes, indeed.

After the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center, OutKick/Fox News Digital caught up with Smith to ask if he had an answer for Trump as New York officially ended its 53-year NBA championship drought.

Smith, who had spent several days talking about Trump’s appearance at Madison Square Garden earlier in the series, wanted no part of it.

“The Knicks just won a championship. I don’t give a— about politics or anything like that. I couldn’t care less. You can ask me tomorrow, you can ask me Tuesday. But right now, the New York Knicks just ended a 53-year drought. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. And I’m not going to let anything get in the way of that,” Smith told Dick/Fox News.

“No disrespect to you or anybody. It’s just that those things are out of my mind. I’ve been a lifelong New York Knick fan, born in the Bronx and raised in Hollis, Queens. [There’s been] one disappointment after another. It’s been 53 years. And it’s over,” Smith concluded.

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That was Stephen A. Smith, one of the loudest and most opinionated voices in sports media, choosing not to extend his back and forth with Trump because the Knicks ended up winning the NBA Finals.

Think about that.

And, to be fair, it was probably the right call.

Stephen A. Smith, left, refused to answer President Donald Trump, right, after the New York Knicks won the NBA championship, saying he was only focused on the franchise’s first title since 1973. (Getty Images)

Smith had every opportunity to pick up the winning streak after New York shut out San Antonio. The Knicks lost Game 3 with Trump in Madison Square Garden, giving Smith plenty of ammunition after spending the leadoff game saying he didn’t want the president there.

Smith said Trump has “no business” showing up in New York City for Game 3. He said the president’s presence would create unnecessary chaos at one of the Knicks’ biggest games in decades. He also said he would blame Trump if the Knicks lost.

Well, the Knicks lost.

And Trump had an answer.

After attending Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, Trump spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington, DC OutKick/Fox News Digital asked Trump about Smith, who has repeatedly talked about running for president, and said that Trump will be responsible if the Knicks lose.

“I think he’s a good man, but you need some skills to run for president,” Trump said at the time. “You need a high IQ. I’m not sure Stephen has that. I don’t think he does, actually.”

So, there was Trump, after watching the Knicks lose at Madison Square Garden, responding to Smith’s criticism of taking a shot at his regular White House performance.

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Smith, of course, responded in kind.

The “First Take” host went to ESPN the next day with an American flag behind her and the president’s music playing in the background and she delivered a long song.

“You want to talk about IQ, I’d say I’d put my IQ up against yours any day of the week,” Smith said. “I can go and get better. I’m asking you why you ran away from me last year because I want to talk to you. I would like to talk to you because you think you’re the one. We can go a lot of ways with all of this.”

President Donald Trump, left, and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, right, are pictured separately after Trump responded to Smith’s comments about the Knicks’ NBA Finals loss. (Getty Images)

Trump later fueled the feud Wednesday morning on Truth Social, calling Smith an “arrogant fool,” a “low IQ” and “dumb as a rock.”

Smith kept firing back, too. He went on to talk about Trump’s appearance affecting the Knicks, New York City and the general atmosphere in the Finals.

In other words, this had all the ingredients of a sports-politics-media rivalry that could go on forever. And it still can.

But, overnight, the Knicks’ historic victory took precedence over the war of words.

Jalen Brunson put on a historic performance, scoring a Knicks Finals-record 45 points and claiming the right to win his first NBA title since 1973. For fans who had spent more than five decades waiting for another championship, that was the story Smith had.

Not Trump.

It is not his political future.

Smith has built an entire career by always having something to say. You argue. He hisses. He monologues. You find a way to make yourself part of the story.

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But standing inside the Frost Bank Center after the Knicks won the NBA Finals, Smith changed his approach.

No criticism of Trump.

There is no victory lap.

There is no pivot back in presidential politics.

A Knicks fan trying to process the fact that one disappointment after another is finally over.

Smith can respond to Trump tomorrow. Or on Tuesday. Whenever ESPN decides the controversy is worthy of another segment of television.

One night, however, even Stephen A. Smith decided that the Knicks winning the championship was enough.

Think about that.