FBI Director Kash Patel delivered a verbal haymaker to ESPN’s loudest provocateur, Stephen A. Smith, after the latter suggested the ongoing NBA gambling scandal stems from the President’s personal grievances.

The bust itself, reported by Bounding Into Sports, was a blockbuster: 31 indictments targeting a shadowy syndicate that raked in millions of dollars over two years. We’re talking mafia muscle from the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families rubbing elbows with NBA insiders.

Among the fallen stars? Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and ex-player Damon Jones, all accused of feeding insider info to gamblers. Players and coaches from the Lakers, Raptors, Hornets, and more were implicated in what officials called a “stunning takedown” of rigged bets and point-shaving schemes.

Smith claimed Trump was behind the arrests and suggested he would target the WNBA next.

“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,” Smith said on his show, First Take, on Thursday.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Smith said without evidence. “It’s very concerning. We don’t know where this is gonna go. But everybody better brace themselves, because he’s (Trump) coming.”

Stephen A.’s bad take on the NBA gambling scandal

Can we all agree that Stephen A.’s take on the NBA gambling scandal is a bad take from a man whose career is defined by awful takes?

Yes, President Trump is active in the sports world, but like many people, he doesn’t seem to pay much attention to the NBA. Or the WNBA. The odds that he could name more than a handful of players in today’s game are slim.

But this is a seismic-scale scandal. And Smith didn’t seem interested in addressing it at the appropriate level. Perhaps because the NBA is an important cog in his career earnings.

Patel wasn’t about to let the comments slide.

“I’m the FBI director. I decide which arrest to conduct and which not to conduct,” Patel said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.

“That may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history. And I live most of my time in Washington, DC,” he pointed out.

Ouch. Patel just posterized Smith.

READ MORE: Former NBA Finals MVP, Hall of Famer Arrested in Gambling Probe

More to come?

Will Smith’s “tip of the iceberg” prophecy hold water, or was it just hot air from the hot seat? If anything, the NBA gambling scandal will likely grow over time, based on the merits of the case. Not based on Trump’s whim when he could care less about the league.

Billups, a Hall of Famer and 2004 NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons, has been tied to poker-related gambling involving the mob, while Rozier’s arrest stems from broader point or stat-shaving schemes.

Billups, according to the feds, allegedly tipped off an NBA gambling ring that the Trail Blazers planned to tank an upcoming game against the Chicago Bulls.

Rozier’s arrest is connected to suspicious betting patterns from a March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, when he was with the Hornets.

Sportsbooks in multiple states detected an unusual surge in bets on the under for Rozier’s points, rebounds, and assists—including $13,759 in wagers from a professional bettor in just 46 minutes—prompting them to suspend betting on his props. Rozier played only 10 minutes before exiting with a reported foot injury.

Here is the exact moment Rozier helped gamblers cash in big time on his injury.

The probes, led by the Eastern District of New York, also netted Jones, who, according to ABC News, provided inside information about games to co-defendants who used it to place sports bets.

It seems likely that more people will be ensnared in the NBA gambling scandal. Whether or not that involves more players and coaches remains to be seen.

This is a massive developing scandal. Bounding Into Sports will keep readers updated as new events warrant.