Veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith has broken his silence on his surprising absence from ESPN’s “NBA Countdown,” insisting the change was fully negotiated, not a sudden removal.
On his SiriusXM show, Smith explained that during his recent contract renewal talks (which ran from June to March), he and ESPN agreed he would step back from Countdown. The reason? The late-night studio hours “didn’t make sense” for his expanding workload.
Smith said he still loves the show and holds zero ill will towards ESPN or his former co‑hosts. But he also made clear he’s got “other things on my plate”: more time for First Take, his SiriusXM shows (including a political program), and his production company that’s producing scripted, unscripted, and game‑show content.
He added that he remains open to appearing on NBA Countdown occasionally — there are “dates in my contract” for that — but he didn’t want to be locked into being there full-time.
Smith also addressed the evolving landscape of ESPN’s NBA coverage, noting the new “Countdown” team (Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, Michael Malone, Brian Windhorst, Shams Charania) and giving them his full respect. But he acknowledged that ESPN now has new marquee NBA talent in “Inside the NBA” — the “A‑team,” in his words — and that the network is “doing big things.”
What to Watch:
- Whether Smith makes regular guest appearances on NBA Countdown despite stepping back.
- How his reallocation of time toward radio, production, and political media pays off.
- What role he’ll play in major NBA events — big games, playoffs, or special programming.
Summary:
Stephen A. Smith says his exit from “NBA Countdown” was not dramatic or unexpected — it was a mutual decision made during contract negotiations. He’s not leaving ESPN, just reshuffling his priorities to focus on other parts of his media empire.
