The constant blasting of ESPN’s master of hot takes, Stephen A. Smith, has come much to the chagrin of many sports fans, especially as Smith elects to dabble more and more in politics, and even hints at a presidential run in 2028.
Safe to say, those fans weren’t exactly thrilled when the Worldwide Leader in Sports signed the boisterous personality to a $105 million deal earlier this year. These fans seem to have really found Smith’s NBA coverage annoying. As Smith’s ego has grown over the years, at times it feels as if he believes he is either responsible for NBA stars being as big as they are, or that he is an even larger star than they are.
However, Smith’s detractors got some much-welcome news on Monday. ESPN officially announced the removal of Smith from the NBA Countdown cast after over 20 years as a part of the show, according to the sports media outlet Awful Announcing.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1990804997622411630?s=20
Sports fans reacted to the removal of Smith from the network’s flagship show on social media.
“Makes NBA Countdown infinitely more watchable,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“I make actually watch now!” someone else rejoiced.
“ESPN’s basketball coverage just got better. Kendrick Perkins next please,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see if more changes are in store for Smith at the network.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.