Timeline Of Stephen A. Smith & Donald Trump’s Friendship
Stephen A. Smith and Donald Trump's relationship is easier to describe as friendly than as a traditional friendship.
Black News 
Stephen A. Smith and Donald Trump’s relationship is one of those media-world connections that’s easier to describe as friendly, familiar and complicated than a traditional friendship. They are both loud, New York-coded, camera-ready personalities who understand attention better than most walking this Earth. But their public history is not some deep buddy-buddy saga with years of vacation photos and courtside selfies. It is more like a long-running collision between sports, politics, TV, and ego.
Still, there is definitely history there. Stephen A. has acknowledged knowing Trump; Trump has spoken about Stephen A. in surprisingly warm terms at times; and the two have circled each other through Fox News appearances, political commentary, 2028 presidential speculation, and, most recently, the Knicks’ NBA Finals run. That last part is where things went from “friendly media acquaintances” to full-on public back-and-forth.
The latest drama came after Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks lost to the Spurs, ending their 13-game winning streak. Stephen A., a lifelong Knicks fan, blamed Trump’s presence, security, road closures and overall disruption for messing up the team’s “mojo.” Trump clapped back by questioning Stephen A.’s IQ and presidential qualifications, and Stephen A. responded by mocking Trump for appearing to fall asleep at the game. So, yeah — whatever friendship existed, the Knicks might’ve effectively ended it.
