Stephen A. Smith couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the New York Post splashing the word “surprise” across its headline about him being taken off ESPN’s NBA Countdown. In fact, Stephen A. sounded more amused than rattled. He practically shrugged at the whole situation, stressing that this move was set in stone months ago and shouldn’t be treated like some big shocker. He hasn’t been on the show all preseason or regular season anyway. So the New York Post framing it as a sudden twist? Yeah, that’s a reach.

Smith even hopped online to drop his own “reaction” to the NBA Countdown chatter, saying, “I negotiated a new deal with the ESPN New Five Year Deal. That deal was negotiated between June of 2024 and March into April of 2025. I didn’t want to be on the show, I negotiated coming off of it…I got other stuff that I want to do to prepare for First Take the next day, the next morning, and to doing an abundance of other things that I aspire to do. Of course, I’m still there to contribute.”

In other words, calm down, you’re still getting your daily dose of Stephen A.’s snide, player-infuriating monologues. ESPN didn’t boot him. The man simply stepped away on his own terms.

Stephen A. didn’t just renew his ESPN deal; he scored a massive paycheck. Earlier this year, he inked a five-year extension worth over $100 million, boosting his annual salary from $12 million to $20 million and keeping him as the face of First Take while freeing up the rest of his schedule to comment not-so-political statements or maybe really talk about politics. And no, we haven’t forgotten about his 2028 presidential run. 

Right after the deal was signed, he said something similar: “I got a lot of things that I want to achieve, a lot of things that I want to accomplish beyond this show and beyond the world of sports—but it all starts here.” And yet somehow, the media still managed to play connect-the-dots with crayons and call it a mystery.

The extension, five years, $105 million, runs alongside a three-year, $36 million pact with SiriusXM. And because ESPN leans on him like he’s their human power grid. He’s still the engine of First Take, serving as both executive producer and $21-million-a-year instigator. And yes, that $20 million figure beats the $18 million ESPN reportedly dangled in June. For anyone counting at home, he’s basically earning double his old Disney salary.

But he is busy. Very busy. For starters, he’s appearing on Monday Night Countdown for the NFL. Then he pointed out, “I have a radio show right here that I’m doing now, Series XM Mad Dog Sports Radio every weekday from 1 to 3 PM every weekday that didn’t exist last year.”

Adding to his already packed schedule, he added, “I have a political show in Series XM POTUS Radio Channel 124 every Wednesday night that didn’t exist.” Beyond his on-air duties, Smith is also running a production company creating scripted and unscripted content, including game shows, which “wasn’t in place last year.”

He capped it all off simply by saying he has “other things to do.” 

But fans don’t need to panic: Stephen A. isn’t disappearing from basketball entirely. He pointed out that ESPN already has a decorated roster, from the Inside the NBA crew to Kendrick Perkins, Malika Andrews, and Brian Windhorst. Still, he made it clear where he stands: “If they need me in LA for NBA Countdown, I’ll be there. Matter of fact. I have days in my contract to be there. I just don’t have to be there full-time.”

ESPN refreshes NBA Countdown with a star-studded new lineup

ESPN is shaking things up on NBA Countdown this season. The new-look team will take over pregame and halftime coverage for select NBA on ESPN games, debuting Wednesday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App. Stephen A. Smith won’t be part of the show this season, ending a run that spanned more than two decades. The network made it official with a promo graphic featuring Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, Brian Windhorst, Michael Malone, and Shams Charania. 

Joining the revamped lineup is 2023 NBA Champion head coach Michael Malone, bringing championship cred straight to the analysts’ table. Windhorst, fresh off a multi-year ESPN extension, will anchor alongside Malone and Perkins, while Malika Andrews continues to host for her third season. Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania rounds out the crew, dropping news and insights regularly.

And if that wasn’t enough, the LA studio itself got a tech upgrade. Fans will get a taste of Virtual Reality 2.0, immersing Malone, Perkins, and Chiney Ogwumike in a photo-realistic NBA environment during broadcasts. The tech first debuted during the 2025 Western Conference Finals and now comes with a stabilized first-person POV that makes it feel like you’re really on the court. It’s fresh, it’s flashy, and it’s a big reminder that while Stephen A. may be off the countdown, ESPN’s NBA coverage is still very much in full swing.