Stephen A. Smith is in line for a hefty payday from ESPN when his contract expires in July 2025.
He's said as much as he wants to be the network's highest-paid on-air talent, which would be above the $18 million per year of Troy Aikman and the $17 million of Pat McAfee.
It's a fair request for the man considered to be the face of ESPN. "First Take," which Smith stars in and also produces, has become the company's flagship show. Smith's even featured by ESPN social media accounts, entering NBA arenas for playoff games, where he will play zero minutes.
.@stephenasmith's Game 4 fit is on point 🔥 #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/4PZBMP9CYc
— ESPN (@espn) June 14, 2024
The countdown for ESPN and Smith's next deal has begun, but just a year after, the Disney-owned (DIS) network had a slew of layoffs, including around 20 on-air talents.
One of the biggest names ESPN fired was NBA color commentator Jeff Van Gundy, who had called the last 17 NBA Finals on ESPN and ABC. ESPN also fired his partner Mark Jackson the previous summer after 15 years in the NBA Finals booth, while play-by-play 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 fulfilling an advisory role for the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics. Following the Celtics' win, ESPN broke the news that Van Gundy would be moving to the sidelines as the lead assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers next season.
Smith reacted to the news on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" by praising Van Gundy's past work in the commentary booth.
Smith misses Van Gundy on ESPN.
On Wednesday, June 19, Smith admitted on his show that he misses the past trio of Breen, Van Gundy, and Jackson — though he did make sure not to discredit the work of the current trio.
"I miss Jeff Van Gundy," Smith said. "I miss Mark Jackson. This is not me throwing any shade at Doris Burke, JJ Redick, or certainly the Hall of Famer Mike Breen ... This is not about anything like that. This is about the fact that Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were truly an A-team. They were exceptional at their jobs. They were riveting in a lot of ways. They were an illustrious tag team that the basketball world enjoyed for more than a decade."
Smith's comments about Van Gundy could be seen as a shot at the decision of ESPN to part ways with the veteran commentator, but Smith follow up by talking about the realities of the work place.
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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 of business.
"Jeff Van Gundy deserves to be what he wants in the game of basketball," Smith said. "If it's a coach, fine. If it's an assistant coach, fine. If it's a color commentator, fine. I respect the hell out of Jeff and I'm very fond of him. But there's one thing that we all have to understand and nobody speaks about this ... In the world of business, when cuts take place, cuts take place. There's hundreds of people who lost their jobs — and it wasn't just at ESPN or at Disney."
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Smith also claimed that this reality doesn't make it "right" or "fair," but simply reality. He also made sure to remind everyone that while he's now the face of ESPN, he was once fired by the network back in 2009 before he returned in 2011 to join "First Take."
"I work with special people with my day job at ESPN, but nothing's guaranteed. Nobody is safe. That includes me — and I'm speaking from experience, remember I got fired in 2009. Take nothing for granted in the world of business, ladies and gentlemen. No one's ever safe in this day and age. Numbers make calls, not just people."
This was another case of Smith avoiding to publicly criticize ESPN management while still paying homage to a former colleague. Smith has become the face of the network while avoiding conflict with the decision-makers, which his former colleagues such Dan Le Batard, Bill Simmons, and Jemele Hill all did.
Even McAfee, ESPN's big money acquisition in 2023, has had a tumultuous first year with the network.
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