Stephen A. Smith is in line for a hefty payday from ESPN when his contract expires in July 2025.
He has said as much as he wants to be the network's highest-paid on-air talent, which would be above Troy Aikman's $18 million per year and Pat McAfee's $17 million.
It's a fair ask for the man considered the face of ESPN. “First Take,” starring Smith and also produced, has become the company's flagship show. Smith even appears on ESPN's social media accounts, entering NBA arenas for playoff games, where he will play zero minutes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet”>
.twitter.com/stephenasmith?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@stephenasmithGame 4 fit is perfect twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/4PZBMP9CYc
-ESPN (@espn) twitter.com/espn/status/1801739376054935874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>June 14, 2024
The countdown to ESPN and Smith's next deal has begun, but just one year later, the Disney property (DES) The network had a slew of layoffs, including around 20 on-air talent.
One of the biggest names ESPN fired was NBA commentator Jeff Van Gundy, who had called the last 17 NBA Finals on ESPN and ABC. ESPN also fired teammate Mark Jackson the previous summer after 15 years in the NBA Finals booth, while announcer Mike Breen stayed on for this year's Finals alongside Doris Burke and JJ Redick.
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This season, Van Gundy ended up serving in an advisory role for the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics. Following the Celtics' victory, ESPN broke the news that Van Gundy would be on the sidelines as the Los Angeles Clippers' head assistant coach next season.
Smith reacted to the news on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” by praising Van Gundy's previous work in the commentary booth.
Smith misses Van Gundy on ESPN.
On Wednesday, June 19, Smith admitted on his show that he misses the previous trio of Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson, although he made sure not to discredit the current trio's work.
“I miss Jeff Van Gundy,” Smith said. “I miss Mark Jackson. I'm not the one throwing any shade at Doris Burke, JJ Redick or certainly Hall of Famer Mike Breen… It's not about any of that. It's about the fact that Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were truly an A-team. They were exceptional at their jobs. They were fascinating in many ways. They were an illustrious team that the basketball world enjoyed for over a decade.
Smith's comments about Van Gundy could be seen as a shot at ESPN's decision to part ways with the veteran commentator, but Smith continued to speak out about the realities of the workplace.
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He explained that while Van Gundy is exceptional, business is business. He made sure to say that this is the situation not just at ESPN or Disney, but in all businesses.
“Jeff Van Gundy deserves to be whatever he wants to be in basketball,” Smith said. “If it's a coach, that's fine. If it's an assistant coach, that's fine. If it's a color commentator, that's fine. I have a lot of respect for Jeff and I'm very fond of him. But there's one thing we all have to understand.” and no one talks about this… In the business world, when cuts happen, cuts happen, there are hundreds of people who lost their jobs, and it wasn't just at ESPN or at Disney.”
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Smith also stated that this reality does not make it “right” or “just,” but simply reality. He also made sure to remind everyone that while he is now the face of ESPN, the network fired him in 2009 before returning in 2011 to join “First Take.”
“I work with special people in my day job at ESPN, but nothing is guaranteed. No one is safe. That includes me, and I speak from experience, remember I was fired in 2009. Don't take anything for granted in the world of Business. Ladies and gentlemen, today no one is safe. Numbers make calls, not just people.
This was another case in which Smith avoided publicly criticizing ESPN management while still paying tribute to a former colleague. Smith has become the face of the network by avoiding conflict with decision makers, something his former colleagues such as Dan Le Batard, Bill Simmons and Jemele Hill did.
Even McAfee, ESPN's big acquisition in 2023, has had a tumultuous first year with the network.
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