Time for ESPN to bid adieu to the bright lights of Hollywood. Their flagship show SportsCenter is moving back to its Bristol, Connecticut headquarters, exactly sixteen years after the network opened their Los Angeles studios. As part of the seismic move, their LA-based soccer programming will also switch location.

Reports suggest that 35 out of the 229 employees working out of the LA studios will be faced with a tough decision—either uproot their lives from LA and relocate to Bristol to work the same job or decline the option, making them eligible for severance.

The show is currently co-anchored by media veterans Stan Varrett and Linda Cohn. While their future remains uncertain, veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith and other employees under the ESPN-NBA wing have nothing to worry about.

That’s because the network’s NBA shows will continue airing out of the LA studios as usual. ESPN confirmed it in their latest statement, “The Los Angeles Production Center will continue to host ESPN’s NBA studio productions and provide office space to additional L.A.-based employees.”

Moreover, the network has invested heavily in the NBA recently with the new media rights deal. Even Stephen A. has received a massive hike with his reported five-year $100 million contract extension. So, he is safe from all the relocation trouble and job uncertainty.

As for the 35 employees in question, ESPN revealed the reason behind their major move, “Based on our current business needs, we are relocating the L.A.-based SportsCenter and soccer studio shows to ESPN’s Bristol headquarters, including the limited number of employee positions related to these shows.” The final LA based SportsCenter show will air on May 16—truly the end of an era.

While ESPN’s latest move has little to no effect on Stephen A., there are other issues he might have to worry about.

Stephen A. Smith gets an earful from Charles Barkley amid the LeBron James fiasco

Well, the Stephen A.—LeBron James beef has taken over the sports world. After the Lakers star slammed the ESPN analyst on The Pat McAfee Show, Smith went on his podcast and called LeBron a “liar.” He also called him out for not attending Kobe Bryant’s memorial service five years ago. However, Smith later had to publicly apologize because James was, in fact, present at the memorial, as confirmed by the LA Times and other major publications.

With this high-profile beef going out of hand, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley also gave his two cents on the subject. During The Dan Patrick Show, he said, “They both had an awful week. LeBron, he’s too big to be that type of bully… I’ve always liked LeBron but him being a bully, it turned me off.” Then, he called out Stephen A. for the way he acted, “Stephen A. the way he reacted was so lame and weak. Stephen A. is a good dude man… Come on man. You’re better than that.”

Barkley also criticized the ESPN veteran for bringing Kobe’s death into his personal matter, “I’m not sure what he was trying to do. He just made it worse and worse… Dude what the hell are you doing?” Well, the Hall of Famer believes there are “only losers” in this scenario as both LeBron and Smith look bad for taking shots at each other. However, Stephen A. is facing the brunt of all the criticism because of his bold claims and non-verified takes. A rough week indeed. Do you agree?

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