The New York Knicks had a nearly flawless championship run during the 2026 NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson and company stormed through the playoffs, won 15 of their final 16 postseason games, and delivered the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years.
But according to ESPN sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, there was one very specific reason the Knicks failed to complete a perfect Finals run against the San Antonio Spurs.
Why Stephen A. Smith Blames Donald Trump for the Knicks’ Only 2026 NBA Finals Defeat
Smith revisited one of the stranger storylines from New York’s title run during a segment on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” featuring WWE star Danhausen.
The wrestler, keeping with his WWE gimmick, jokingly claimed credit for helping the Knicks win the championship after “lifting” a curse he had placed on the team earlier in the playoffs.
“We cursed. They lost two games. We un-cursed, 13-0. They lost one; we won’t talk about that. That wasn’t my fault,” Danhausen said.
Smith, who has been involved in a public back-and-forth with U.S. President Donald Trump during the NBA Finals, immediately had another explanation ready for the Knicks’ lone loss of the series.
“That was Trump. That wasn’t me. That was Donald Trump,” Smith responded.
“They lost one we won’t talk about that one it wasn’t my fault”
“It was Trumps fault”
“i didn’t say it”
STEPHEN A SMITH AND DANHAUSEN TROLLING DONALD TRUMP 😭 pic.twitter.com/BCi8tmYk9Q
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) June 18, 2026
The remark was in reference to Game 3 of the NBA Finals, when Trump attended Madison Square Garden and watched the Spurs hand New York a 115-111 defeat. It ultimately proved to be the Knicks’ only loss of the series before they closed out the championship in five games.
Smith and Trump had already traded barbs throughout the Finals. Before Game 3, Smith argued that Trump’s presence could become a distraction and even said he would blame the president if the Knicks lost.
After New York’s defeat, Trump questioned Smith’s IQ and suitability for a future presidential run, prompting the ESPN analyst to challenge him to a debate and declare that he would put his intelligence up against the president’s “any day of the week.”
While Smith was happy to point the finger at Trump, Danhausen stopped short of making the same claim. “I didn’t say it,” the WWE star quickly replied.
Smith then continued the bit. “Wait a minute, you’re supposed to be the almighty, the all-powerful Danhausen. Are you scared of the president?”
Remaining in character, Danhausen explained that even his supposed supernatural powers have limits.
“Danhausen’s powers can only go so far,” he said. “Sometimes those powers get blocked. Every once in a while, one will come across and block it. That night, it got blocked.”
Regardless of the jokes, the Knicks quickly recovered from their Game 3 defeat. New York came within a whisker of falling into a 2-2 series tie in Game 4, trailing by 29 points at halftime at Madison Square Garden, before staging one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history to take complete control of the series.
Knowing Trump’s history of firing back, it would not be surprising if Smith’s latest jab prompts another response from the president.
