FBI Director Kash Patel swatted down a wild conspiracy theory from sports personality Stephen A. Smith, who suggested that Thursday’s National Basketball Association (NBA) gambling bust was ordered by President Donald J. Trump.
After the news broke that over 30 people, including an active NBA head coach and a star player, along with mob members, had been arrested as part of a federal investigation into illicit gambling activities, the ESPN motormouth claimed that the FBI’s press conference announcing the bust was a “message” from Trump to other sports leagues that have crossed him.
“Trump is coming. He’s coming…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…this is just the tip of the iceberg” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/gngy9qbPIG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 23, 2025
“You know what world we’re living in in terms of politics. How many times with one incident after another? Trump is coming,” Smith said during Thursday’s edition of “First Take,” making the shocking arrests, which are likely only the tip of the iceberg and could soon call the integrity of the entire NBA into question, all about the left’s phobia about the president.
“He’s coming. I’m going to say it on national television again. … Remember, Trump has a long, long history connected to the world of sports because he had those casinos. Where do you think those folks were coming half the time? I’m not talking about the individuals. I’m talking about the culture,” he continued.
“Don’t be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list. Because when you got all of these protesters that have been going out there and people who have been protesting against him and what have you, this man is coming. He’s coming,” Smith warned.
When asked for his reaction to the sportscaster’s paranoid rant on Thursday’s edition of “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News, Patel ridiculed Smith’s suggestion while stating that, as FBI boss, he decides who gets arrested, not Trump.
BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel FIRES BACK at Stephen A. Smith claiming the NBA gambling bust was “REVENGE” from President Trump for the NBA’s left-wing activism
“That may be the single DUMBST thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history. And I live most of my time… pic.twitter.com/RUe8TwNJaK
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 23, 2025
“By the way, this was so wild, Stephen A. Smith, the sports commentator, suggested that this was revenge from the president for all the left-wing activism of the NBA. Your response to that,” said host Laura Ingraham, inviting the FBI chief to respond to Smith’s wild allegations.
“I’m the FBI director. I decide which arrest to conduct and which not to conduct,” Patel responded.
“That may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history,” he added. “And I live most of my time in Washington, DC.”
“It’s right up there with Adam Schiff. We arrest people for crimes,” Patel added.
“I’ve been saying it for a long time, to me, this is the latest nugget of evidence that we’re talking about right here,” Smith said during his rant. “It’s not to question the legitimacy of the case, we don’t know. But anybody that’s 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,” he continued.
“It’s not coincidental. It’s not an accident. It’s a statement,” Smith declared, adding, “I’ve been saying, he’s coming. He’s coming, because in his eyes, folks tried to throw him in jail. In his eyes, he’s innocent, they tried to put me behind bars. ‘I’m getting everybody.’ He’s not playing.”
The ESPN personality was getting early buzz that he could be a contender for the 2028 Democratic nomination, and while trash-talking Governors JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom are currently dominating headlines, he remains a dark horse candidate with a national platform who is capable of selling the Trump paranoia to the base.
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