Stephen A Smith Caught Slacking in ESPN Job After Tyrese Haliburton Claim Sparks Outrage

Tyrese Haliburton might be leading the Pacers through a deep playoff run, but Stephen A. Smith still isn’t sold. “Tyrese Haliburton isn’t a superstar,” he declared on First Take, pointing to the guard’s inconsistency during the regular season. “There have been at least 13 or 14 games this year where he scored in single digits — that’s not a superstar in this league.”

But just as fans started pushing back against his logic, a viral image made things worse, showing Stephen A. playing solitaire on his phone during Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Not calling the game. Just… sitting courtside and zoning out.

Naturally, the Pacers community erupted. Fans highlighted Haliburton’s Game 1 buzzer-beater, his 47% clutch shooting, and recent performance (10 points, 7 assists in three quarters). They pointed to inconsistencies in Stephen A.’s standards, calling Jalen Brunson a superstar despite similar stretches of inefficiency.

Is Haliburton a “superstar”? Maybe not in Stephen A.’s rigid definition. But he’s young, clutch, and already carrying Indiana to its first Finals in decades. Whether he reaches that tier full-time depends on what he does next season, when eyes like Stephen A.’s might actually be watching.

(This is a building story…)

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