If you grew tired of seeing Stephen A Smith in every corner of ESPN’s NBA coverage this spring, you were not alone.
The newly minted $100 million man was everywhere. One night, he was trash-talking an injured Tyrese Haliburton during the NBA Finals. The next, he was on SportsCenter getting roasted by his daughter. Then, it was onto a beef with the mayor of Memphis or weaseling away from a fan who caught him red-handed playing solitaire during a game he was covering.
Smith capped it off with a delirious spot broadcasting the NBA Draft last week before moving along to a welcome break until August.
Hoops fans hoping that the arrival of Inside the NBA as the licensed solution to ESPN’s studio show issues for marquee games will mean that Smith can rest assured. In a new feature at Boardroom published over the weekend, Smith acknowledged that he will be on fewer NBA broadcasts in 2026 — and that he is looking forward to taking a step back.
“Inside The NBA is coming here and nobody can be happier for that than me,” Smith told Boardroom. “Not just because those guys are great, but it gives me what I believe to be well-earned relief. It’s been a long time. I’ve been covering the NBA for 30 years, so I’m going to get somewhat of a reprieve to some degree in that regard in terms of an inordinate amount of assignments that I’ve had in the past. So, I’m happy about that.”
Smith previously praised ESPN’s deal to license the legendary TNT studio show when news broke last year. The former NBA beat writer and sports columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer has a friendly relationship with Inside the NBA star Charles Barkley. He grew up in Queens around the same time as Kenny Smith. There is hardly any ill will between Smith and his replacements.
At the same time, Smith will likely take on more of a leading role in ESPN’s NFL coverage under his new deal. When Smith extended with the Worldwide Leader, his agent said that fans will see Smith on NFL Countdown alongside Scott Van Pelt more often. And with ESPN gearing up for its first-ever Super Bowl in 2027, Smith will have ample time to become a face of the network’s football side before playing host to the football world in about 18 months.