Stephen A. Smith and ESPN have agreed to a new contract which will raise his annual salary from $12 million to $20 million while reducing the time he spends on the network. A pretty unconventional way to have to see someone less huh?
In reality the reduced workload is mostly due to the Inside the NBA TNT crew joing ESPN next season as well as Smith's desire to get more into politics.
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. 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
In a related note Smith was not happy about one his replacements Charles Barkley's perceived shots at him, even though Chuck's comments appeared to be more directed at Kendrick Perkins. Smith has made a wealthy career interjecting himself into things, so it was not a surprise that he made it about him.