Less than two years ago, Stephen A. Smith had just agreed to a five-year extension with ESPN that made him the network’s highest-paid personality, at about $20 million a year. On Awful Announcing’s ranking of sports media salaries at the time, that put him third, behind Tom Brady and Charles Barkley, with Shaquille O’Neal further down at $15 million. Today, Smith sits at the top of the list, and his estimated earnings tower over the NBA legends he debates on air.

Smith pulls in an estimated $40 million a year across his media ventures, according to Bleacher Report’s latest ranking of the highest-paid personalities in sports media, which draws on reporting by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. That puts him ahead of Brady ($37.5 million), Pat McAfee ($30 million), Barkley ($21 million), Troy Aikman, Joe Buck and Tony Romo ($18 million each), Kirk Herbstreit ($16 million), Al Michaels ($15 million) and O’Neal ($15 million).

Barkley and O’Neal together make $36 million, which is $4 million less than Smith.

The $40 million is a combined figure, not one paycheck. ESPN reportedly pays Smith between $20 million and $21 million annually, his SiriusXM deal brings in another $12 million, and his podcast and other media ventures account for about $7 million.

The earnings trace back to long contracts. In March 2025, Stephen A. Smith signed a five-year, $105 million extension at ESPN. Later that year, he agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with SiriusXM, where he hosts the daily sports show “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Mad Dog Sports Radio and the weekly politics and culture show “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.” on the P.O.T.U.S. channel. He also hosts his own podcast, also called “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” on the iHeartPodcasts network.

Brady, by contrast, agreed to a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox in 2022. So Brady holds the biggest single broadcasting contract, even if Smith earns more per year overall.

NBA Fans React to Stephen A. Smith’s $40 Million Haul

The reaction online has been a mix of disbelief and skepticism. One fan summed it up: “The dumber the take, the higher the salary.” It echoed a theme in the coverage, where fans joked that Smith gets paid “$40M a year for bad takes.”

The timing didn’t help Smith. The list went viral on the same day Tyrese Maxey publicly denied a story Smith had told on First Take, saying he had never even been to Doc Rivers’ house. Earlier this month, Smith also apologized to Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor after spreading false claims about their divorce settlement.

Others turned to the cost behind the pay: “Think of all the respected people ESPN has laid off in order to pay $150 million to Stephen A, Pat McAfee, Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Charles Barkley, and Shaq.”

The frustration for some comes from when ESPN laid off several well-known names like Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Karl Ravech, and Tom Pelissero, as it absorbed NFL Network. The cuts came while ESPN was reportedly negotiating a new deal for McAfee worth $60 million or more a year.

However, not everyone was critical of the number.

A fourth fan was impressed instead: “Stephen A makes more than 90% Nba Stars ? I mean they are the ones actually playing the game. Wow This guys is arguably the GOAT of NBA media man.”

A fifth took a harsher view: “It’s crazy to think the guy who gets paid the most by far doesn’t have an athletic bone in his body, who criticizes the sport the most. It’s like a random fan getting paid to say what he thinks.”

Whether fans see the $40 million as a reward for bad takes or a business success, few people in sports media draw as much criticism as Smith, and none of them currently get paid more.