Stephen A. Smith turned a New York Knicks celebration segment with WWE star Danhausen into an unexpected jab at Donald Trump.
The exchange came after the Knicks ended their 53-year championship drought, giving Smith and Danhausen a chance to revisit the running joke around curses, un-curses and the team’s title run.
The bit had a new wrinkle because the Knicks’ only NBA Finals loss came in Game 3 at Madison Square Garden, the same night Trump attended the series. Smith did not let that detail pass quietly.
Stephen A. Smith blames Donald Trump for New York Knicks Game 3 loss
Danhausen joined Smith for the segment on The Stephen A. Smith Show, where the two joked about his role in the Knicks’ championship push.
“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 stated.
Stephen A. Smith immediately pointed the blame somewhere else, responding: “That was Trump. That wasn’t me. That was Donald Trump.”
Danhausen then stayed away from repeating the accusation himself, saying, “I didn’t say it.”
The joke worked because it tied into a real moment from the series. Trump attended Game 3 of the NBA Finals at MSG, where the San Antonio Spurs beat the Knicks 115-111 and handed New York its only loss of the Finals before the Knicks went on to win the championship in five games.
Danhausen jokes that his curse powers were blocked at MSG
Smith kept pushing the joke after Danhausen avoided directly blaming Trump, turning the exchange into a playful test of the WWE star’s supposed powers.
“Wait a minute, you’re supposed to be the almighty, the all-powerful Danhausen. Are you scared of the President? Are you scared to say what I said?” Smith asked.
Danhausen answered in character, saying, “No. Danhausen’s powers can only go so far. … Oh, Danhausen’s not afraid, but I’m just saying, sometimes those powers get blocked. Every once in a while, one will come across and block it.”
He then tied the bit directly back to the Knicks’ one Finals setback.
“That night, it got blocked. But, after that, though, we’ll ignore that one. We’ll go past because they won.”
The exchange added a political twist to what was otherwise a Knicks victory-lap segment. Smith had already warned before Game 3 that Trump’s presence could become a distraction, and after the loss, the joke practically wrote itself.
The Knicks still finished the job, beating the Spurs 4-1 to win their first NBA title since 1973. That gave Danhausen room to protect the curse bit, while Smith used the only blemish on New York’s Finals record to take a quick shot at Trump.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
