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Stephen A. Smith Agrees to Massive New Contract With ESPN in Scaled Back Role

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Mar 6, 2025 5:21 PM ET

Stephen A. Smith has been ESPN's signature on-air personality for several years, and it appears now that he will remain so for years to come.

Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported on Thursday, March 6, that Smith has inked a new five-year contract with the prominent sports network that is worth more than nine figures total.

Smith's role across the network is going to change to a significant degree, as Marchand reported that Smith will be less prominent outside of his traditional morning show vehicle "First Take," which he initially helped popularize alongside Skip Bayless and eventually rode to the top of the sports media industry.

NEWS: Stephen A. Smith's deal is complete with ESPN for five years and at least $100 million, The Athletic has learned.

Full story:https://t.co/DWBL9cBdSN
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) March 6, 2025

"Smith will remain a fixture on “First Take,” his daily morning flagship show on ESPN, but will be less omnipresent on the rest of the network, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms of the agreement were not expected to be announced publicly," Marchand wrote. "Smith will not be a regular on ESPN’s premiere NBA pregame show anymore, though he could still make occasional appearances on top basketball studio programs, as well as the 'Monday Night Football' pregame or during other big time events."

Smith came up as a journalist in Philadelphia covering several major sports, though basketball -- and the NBA in particular -- has been his forte for much of his career.

However, ESPN is bringing over TNT's "Inside the NBA" crew, led by Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson, which will supplant much of Smith's game-night NBA coverage beginning next year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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