Thursday morning, sports fans woke up to the news that the FBI had arrested Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cleveland Cavaliers player Damon Jones in relation to sports betting investigations. Now, Stephen A. Smith has chosen to blame the president.
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The "First Take" host used his platform to deliver his message on Thursday morning. He said that President Donald Trump "is coming" and warned that this is the "tip of the iceberg." Smith then indicated that the WNBA is next on President Trump's list.
"How many times for one incident after another, have I said, Trump is coming. He's coming," Smith said. "I'm gonna say it on national television again. Bad Bunny is performing at the Super Bowl and all of a sudden you hearing ICE is gonna be there looking to engage in mass deportations.
"The Super Bowl, disrupting things. Big night for the NBA, (Victor) Wembanyama put on a show, that has now been smeared because we're talking about this story. Remember, Trump has a long, long history connected to the world of sports because he had those casinos. Where do you think folks were coming half the time?"
NEW: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith says the NBA game-rigging mafia-linked scandal uncovered by the FBI is President Trump's revenge, says this is only the beginning.
"Don't be surprised that the WNBA is next on his list."
"Because when you've got all of these protests that have been… pic.twitter.com/MkoqBStaKi
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 23, 2025
Smith then turned to basketball analyst Monica McNutt and said that he's glad she was on the show. He said "don't be surprised that the WNBA is next on his list" due to protests taking place. Smith then repeatedly said about President Trump, "He's coming."
"That's not to question the legitimacy of the case — we don't know," Smith said. "We're all sitting up here, we're saying that we don't know, but anybody that has been around him. Anybody that has talked to him. Anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what's going on today.
"I'm watching a press conference with the director of the FBI. Tell me when we've seen that! 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. And that's what they're saying here. I'm just telling you, it's as serious as it gets. This ain't the platform for me to get into it the way I'm going to get into it. But I've been saying, he's coming. He's coming."
FBI Director Kash Patel held a press conference on Thursday to address the arrests and the widespread sports betting scandal. He called this a "wide sweeping criminal enterprise that envelopes both the NBA and La Cosa Nostra." This included 13 members of the Bonano, Gambino, and Genovese crime families.
Director Patel said that this is an illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that lasted for years. Federal officials referred to this investigation as "Operation Royal Flush," saying that it began four years ago.
Additionally, The Athletic reported that the indictments listed alleged incidents from 2023 involving Rozier, Jones, and other players. This puts the timeline before Trump took office and before any protests occurred.
