ESPN made its regular announcement, launching its team for ‘NBA Countdown’ this season. Malika Andrews leads the show, joined by former Nuggets HC Mike Malone, Brian Windhorst, Shams Charania, and Kendrick Perkins. But there’s someone missing. Stephen A. Smith wasn’t mentioned in the lineup.

The veteran analyst was a regular on the show since it was called ‘NBA Shootaround’. And having signed an extension last summer, ESPN’s removing him came as a shock. However, this wasn’t a demotion or him being fired from the show. Upon inking his new contract, Smith’s participation was expected to drop, according to Awful Announcing.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand noted in March, “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, as well as the Monday Night Football pregame or during other big time event,”.

So this isn’t ESPN firing Stephen A. Smith. The media powerhouses are working together with their most celebrated analyst to find a balance. Smith will still remain ESPN’s most prominent voice. Notably, he still appears as the lead on First Take, debating with former basketball players and analysts.

But as part of signing his new contract with ESPN, was outlining his plans for the future. Stephen A. Smith wanted to diversify from more than just covering sports. He wants to speak about politics, already partnering with Sirius XM to begin expanding himself. He could still appear on NBA Countdown alongside the star-studded cast.

However, he won’t be a regular like he was for the past two decades.

Stephen A. Smith eyes the White House?

At first, many didn’t welcome the notion of Stephen A. Smith speaking about the political landscape. He came from a background of being a sports analyst. However, he’s abolished those boundaries. With a weekly show, ‘Straight Shooter’ on SiriusXM, Smith has proven he has the knowledge to speak politics with anybody.

However, his ambitions could go beyond it. Notably, in April, Smith spoke about many high-profile individuals asking him to run for the office. His response? “I’ve never had a desire to be a politician,” he said.

But his stance changed a little bit once his pastor encouraged being open-minded.

“Here’s the reality: People, literally people, have walked up to me, including my own pastor, for crying out loud, who has said to me, ‘You don’t know what God has planned for you. At least show the respect to the people who believe in you, who believe in you, who respect you, who believe that you can make a difference in this country, to leave the door open for any possibilities some two to three years down the line.’ And that’s what I’ve decided to do,” Smith added.

It’s a huge jump of responsibilities. Being the President of the United States requires undivided attention. That could mean leaving ESPN and focusing entirely on pushing his campaign. Of course, it’s too early to assume that Stephen A. Smith will divulge in that direction. However, it’s not entirely out of comprehension to think he would look to do so in the future.

What are your opinions on Stephen A. Smith running for office? Let us know your views in the comments below.