Stephen A. Smith suffers humiliating moment on ESPN during NBA Finals

Stephen A. Smith was brutally mocked by fans after being cut off during ESPN's coverage of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.

The outspoken First Take host, who was controversially caught playing solitaire during Game 4 of this year's finals, suffered the humiliating moment while assessing the first half of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers' Game 7 showdown.

As he lamented Oklahoma City for not pulling further away from an Indiana team which had lost star man Tyrese Haliburton to injury, ESPN decided to cut to a commercial break in the middle of Smith's analysis.

And basketball fans couldn't resist poking fun at him on social media.

'Even they don't want to hear him,' one user joked on X.

'They got it half right, I guess they didn't have the mute button handy,' another quipped.

While a third put: 'need to do this more often'.

Before Game 7 had got underway on Sunday night, NBA Finals viewers were treated to the sight and sound of a screaming Smith possibly too into the moment for his own good.

Over an hour before tipoff of the final and decisive game of the championship series, the sports personality let his passion for the game out on-air - but possibly at a volume not appropriate for the occasion at the time.

Video posted to social media by Awful Announcing showed Smith getting into a shouting match on ESPN with his co-star and former Thunder player Kendrick Perkins.

While starting off at a lower volume, he eventually raised his voice while calling Perkins 'really annoying' for believing that some players in this game may not be able to perform the same as they would in other environments.

'This is a man that is a champion, you're talking about a Game 7... he acts like everybody that's been producing all year long, come Game 7, "it's no different, it's no different." It's very, very, very different,' Smith said at the top of his lungs.

Another member of the desk, former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers, fired back at Smith, saying, 'Just because you yell something doesn't mean it's true.'

When the pre-game show transitioned from ESPN to ABC, Smith continued his ranting and raving at max volume. Only this time, he started at a 10 and never dropped from there.

Disgruntled viewers let their anger and exhaustion be known on social media.

'It's like watching the THX intro at full volume but for an hour straight,' said one user.

Another posted: 'The fact that ESPN cannot see that he is destroying their credibility, is mind boggling.'

'Can't believe ESPN gave this man the bag for a bunch of yellin,' wrote a third.