Despite Being Won Over by ESPN’s Surprise on Live TV, Ex-NBA Stars Must Live in Fear of Facing Worst Fate Reveals Stephen a Smith

Published 07/05/2023, 7:00 AM EDT

ESPN has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently. The company fired 20 on-air reporters in a single day, and the sports world is reeling from shock. Fans and players alike are not the happiest about these decisions as the mass exodus continues. ESPN doubled down on its finances, handing out marching orders to several notable names across sports. This decision comes in light of ESPN’s parent company, Disney, laying off 7,000 employees in a bid to reduce costs.

Stephen A. Smith recently voiced his concerns as he himself feels anxious about being an ESPN employee.

Stephen A. Smith sends an empathic message to ex-colleagues

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Renowned reporter and analyst Stephen A. Smith took to his podcast to speak on the mass layoffs. Smith paid tribute to all his former colleagues but was clearly dismayed by the decision. The analyst first spoke of Jalen Rose who he referred to as a brother. Speaking of the ex-NBA star, Smith stated, “I loved working with him on NBA countdown.”

“He is a brilliant, brilliant basketball mind, he is somebody that worked his a*s off all the time,” Smith concluded on Rose’s ESPN tenure. Despite stating that he wouldn’t want to mention names so as to not forget any, the host of First Take couldn’t help but mention the legendary Jeff Van Gundy.

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The NBA world respects the former New York Knicks coach who reported at ESPN for over 16 years. Stephen A Smith joined the community in paying respects to the 61-year-old who was closing in on his historic 1000th game as an analyst.

Stephen A. heaped praise on Van Gundy, “Jeff Van Gundy is another. You don’t get labeled as part of the A-Team, unless you’re an A-teamer. That was Jeff Gundy.”

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Warning bells sound off amidst ESPNs sackings

Smith’s empathic message to his former colleagues included his longtime nemesis, Max Kellerman. Clearly, Smith saw this as something bigger than his personal beef with Kellerman.

Stephen A. sounded off the warning bells for his current team of reporters. ESPN reporters recently received a surprise pizza party on-air that seemingly won them over. However, since this was on the same day that others lost their jobs, fans were left rightfully infuriated.

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Stephen A Smith quickly wiped the smiles off his colleague’s faces as he asked them to stay real. Smith stated that even he “wasn’t safe“, warning his fellow reporters, “Let’s deal with reality, this isn’t the end, more is coming.”

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Written by:

Arian Kashyap is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. He has college degrees in Physical Education and Sport Sciences and has been writing since 2019. He actively follows the NBA, and though he is a Miami Heat fan, Arian likes to provide all NBA lovers with captivating content that also helps educate his readers.

Edited by:

Aakash Nair

Despite Being Won Over by ESPN’s Surprise on Live TV, Ex-NBA Stars Must Live in Fear of Facing Worst Fate Reveals Stephen a Smith

Stephen A. Smith sends an empathic message to ex-colleagues

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Warning bells sound off amidst ESPNs sackings