Stephen A. Smith, ESPN, Stephen A. Smith
by Jeroslyn JoVonn
November 21, 2025
Stephen A. Smith says it was his decision to step away from ESPN’s "NBA Countdown," not the network’s.
Stephen A. Smith said he “negotiated” being removed from ESPN’s NBA Countdown as part of his $100 million contract.
On the Nov. 18 episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the sports commentator addressed ESPN’s Nov. 17 announcement that a “new-look NBA Countdown” was coming—without him. Despite speculation that Smith, a longtime fixture on the show and a leading face of ESPN’s NBA coverage, was being pushed out, he clarified it was quite the opposite.
“I didn’t want to be on the show,” Smith declared. “I negotiated coming off of it.”
My reaction to the NBA Countdown “news”
Full video: https://t.co/iOcjHtzo6V pic.twitter.com/4RwEZNIxW8
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 18, 2025
The new NBA Countdown lineup includes host Malika Andrews and analysts Brian Windhorst, Michael Malone, and Kendrick Perkins, with frequent appearances by NBA insider Shams Charania.
”Now I love doing NBA Countdown, but once the countdown show is over, I got other things to do than to be in studio, watching the doubleheader, and coming on at halftimes,” he explained. “I got other stuff that I want to do, to prepare for First Take the next day, the next morning, and to do an abundance of other things that I aspire to do.
Aside from hosting First Take, Smith has his own production company and two SiriusXM shows,
He also pointed out that his departure from NBA Countdown is not breaking news. In March, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that Smith would no longer be a regular on ESPN’s NBA pregame show.
ESPN later confirmed that his contractdoes not require him to appear regularly on any program other than First Take. Still, the outspoken broadcaster will continue making guest appearances on various ESPN shows, including NBA Countdown.
“If they need me in L.A. for NBA Countdown, I’ll be there,” Smith said on his show. “Matter of fact, I have days in my contract to be there. I just don’t have to be there full-time.”
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