Stephen A Smith is probably the most prominent broadcaster ESPN has on its roster. According to reports, the 55-year-old earns as much as $8 million a year from the network. Given his stature with the company, fans are very interested to hear what this man has to say about ESPN’s recent round of layoffs, which apparently, involved no less than 20 on-air personalities losing their jobs.
Jalen Rose, Jeff Van Gundy, and Max Kellerman were some of the big names that were laid off, and Stephen A has now broken his silence on this recent purge. As he bid farewell to his now-ex-colleagues, Smith also dropped a truth bomb about his own job security.
Stephen A Smith Believes He Could Be Next
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As expected, Stephen A went on a lengthy tirade on his own show to share his unfiltered reaction to this shocking turn of events. According to Smith, this round of mass layoffs has him fearing for his own job:
“ESPN just the other day laid off about 20 members of its on-air talent,” he started (h/t Ben Nagle of Mail Online). “As you all know: I work at ESPN, my day job is First Take. There are a lot of people who got laid off, friends of mine actually, respected colleagues who have done a phenomenal job and deserved better.
“This ain’t the end. More is coming. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next. Let me tell you all something. Don’t ever, ever, ever in your life as a black person take anything for granted. I told you before, when white folks catch a cold, black folks catch pneumonia.”
Stephen A did not hold back here. He just had to play the race card too, which makes his statements even more controversial. Is ESPN really ready to part ways with its golden boy?
Stephen A had more than a few things to say about his recently fired co-workers, with perhaps none more moving that his message for Jalen Rose:
“To see Jalen Rose gone, my brother,’ he said. “I have got a lot of love for that brother, a lot of the great work he has done over the years, and what he has represented for the company. He is a brilliant basketball mind and somebody that worked his a** off all the time.”
Stephen A Speaks Out On Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Contract Situation With Bucks
One of the things that makes Stephen A so popular is his hot takes. In fact, you could say that it’s his uncompromising views that have propelled him to superstardom.
Recently, Stephen A shared his take on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s contract situation with the Milwaukee Bucks. With the former back-to-back MVP eligible to sign another extension this summer, there have been rumors about Giannis potentially opting not to put pen to paper on a new deal. In his mind, Stephen A is adamant that the Bucks should do everything they can to make sure that this doesn’t happen — including giving Antetokounmpo whatever clause he wants in his new deal:
“Should he ask for a no-trade clause, Giannis must get it right away”, Smith said, via Matthew Dugandzic of FanNation. “Giannis is big-time. He could get a no-trade clause, no problem, no questions asked,”
“You should be glad he asked for a no-trade clause because that implies he might not want to leave.”
I see no lies here. Antetokounmpo is a generational talent and it would be a total shame if Milwaukee lets him slip out of their hands.
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