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Espn Star Anchor Earns Nba All-star-sized Contract

And he didn’t even have to sink a shot from half-court: NBA commentator Stephen A. Smith has inked a five-year, $100+ million contract extension with ESPN that makes him the network’s highest-paid talent ever, The Athletic reported this week.

Hello, 67% raise: Smith was making $12 million/year under his previous contract. Following almost a year of negotiations, he’s about to receive a higher salary than at least 80% of NBA players, including stars like Klay Thompson and Chris Paul.

Under the new contract:

Smith will continue to co-host ESPN’s highly-rated morning debate show First Take. It’s the most popular non-news show on cable in its time slot this year, according to Nielsen.
Smith will stop being a regular on ESPN’s NBA pregame show Countdown. He’ll also be allowed to cut back on other network appearances and likely pursue more non-ESPN opportunities, per The Athletic.

Retaining talent: ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said the company is “grateful” to keep Smith, whose “strong opinions and unmistakable flair” have earned him a devoted following. Smith’s podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, has more than 1.1 million YouTube subscribers, and he’s even stirred Democratic candidacy rumors in appearances on The View and The Tonight Show since going toe-to-toe with Sean Hannity on Fox News in October.—ML

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Espn Star Anchor Earns Nba All-star-sized Contract

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