{"id":297380,"date":"2025-11-20T16:18:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/297380\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T16:18:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:18:08","slug":"espns-stephen-a-smith-says-nba-countdown-was-his-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/297380\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says ‘NBA Countdown’ was his choice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stephen A. Smith<\/a> is a very busy man.<\/p>\n

He is the star of ESPN\u2019s \u201cFirst Take<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hosts two radio shows on SiriusXM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He has his own production company<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since 2021, Smith also has been an analyst on ESPN\u2019s \u201cNBA Countdown\u201d pregame and halftime studio show. <\/p>\n

But he isn\u2019t anymore, at least not on a full-time basis.<\/p>\n

This week, ESPN announced a new \u201cNBA Countdown\u201d broadcast team that features host Malika Andrews and analysts Brian Windhorst, Michael Malone and Kendrick Perkins, with frequent contributions from Shams Charania. <\/p>\n

Smith said Tuesday on \u201cThe Stephen A. Smith Show<\/a>\u201d that he hadn\u2019t been demoted from his status as a show regular, as some outlets suggested. Instead, he said, the change was something he had asked for while negotiating his reported five-year, $100-million contract to remain with the network earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Why? Smith said he simply no longer has the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to be on the show,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI negotiated coming off of it. Now I love doing \u2018NBA Countdown,\u2019 but once the countdown show is over, I got other things to do than to be in studio, watching the doubleheader and coming on at halftimes. I got other stuff that I want to do, to prepare for \u2018First Take\u2019 the next day, the next morning, and to do an abundance of other things that I aspire to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said his departure from \u201cNBA Countdown\u201d had been reported \u201cmonths ago,\u201d and he is correct. In breaking the news of Smith\u2019s new deal with ESPN in March, The Athletic\u2019s Andrew Marchand wrote<\/a> that Smith \u201cwill not be a regular on ESPN\u2019s premiere NBA pregame show anymore.\u201d <\/p>\n

ESPN confirmed to The Times that Smith\u2019s contract doesn\u2019t include a regular role on any show beyond \u2018First Take.\u2019 The veteran broadcaster will, however, continue to appear as a guest on several of the network\u2019s shows, including \u2018NBA Countdown.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they need me in L.A. for \u2018NBA Countdown,\u2019 I\u2019ll be there,\u201d Smith said. \u201cMatter of fact, I have days in my contract to be there. I just don\u2019t have to be there full time.\u201d<\/p>\n