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United States Stephen A. Smith is a prolific sports commentator and executive producer whose influential career spans television, radio, and print media, offering brands a platform with a widely recognized and impactful voice.
Stephen A. Smith is a featured commentator and executive producer on ESPN’s First Take, an analyst on NBA Countdown, and host of NBA in Stephen A’s World. He also leads SportsCenter specials and contributes to network programming. His contracts with ESPN include multi-year renewals worth over $3 million per year in 2014, approximately $60 million over five years in 2019, and over $100 million over five years in 2025.
Stephen A. Smith's production company, Mr. SAS Productions, co-produces his show NBA in Stephen A's World with ESPN and Omaha Productions. The company also oversaw the marketing and distribution of his New York Times Best Seller memoir, 'Straight Shooter,' published by Simon and Schuster and Gallery 13. Furthermore, Mr. SAS Productions co-produces his podcast K[no]w Mercy with Stephen A. Smith alongside Cadence13.
Simon & Schuster and Gallery 13 published Stephen A. Smith's memoir 'Straight Shooter; A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes,' which became a New York Times Best Seller.
Stephen A. Smith, and his company Mr. SAS Productions, co-produce the podcast K[no]w Mercy with Stephen A. Smith, alongside Cadence13.
Stephen A. Smith hosted "The Stephen A. Smith Show" on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio since September 2014, which later moved to ESPN’s SiriusXM channel in January 2017.
ESPN BET launched a new commercial, 'Deli,' featuring Stephen A. Smith.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier launched a strategic partnership with Straight Shooter Media to elevate sports and culture content.
Since 2014, Stephen A. Smith has appeared in a series of Oberto all-natural beef jerky commercials as "The Little Voice in Your Stomach," alongside other sports figures.
Stephen A. Smith was born on October 14, 1967, in New York City and raised in Hollis, Queens. After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology for one year, he received a basketball scholarship to Winston-Salem State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He played for the Winston-Salem State Rams men’s basketball team under Hall of Fame coach Clarence Gaines, though his basketball career was cut short due to a knee injury. While at university, he wrote for the school newspaper, “The News Argus,” and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication. Smith is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. His early experiences in both collegiate athletics and journalism laid the foundation for his distinguished career in sports media.
Smith’s professional journey in print media began with roles at the “Winston-Salem Journal,” the “Greensboro News and Record,” and the “New York Daily News.” In 1994, he joined “The Philadelphia Inquirer,” where he covered the Philadelphia 76ers as their NBA columnist before transitioning to a general sports columnist. Although his tenure at the “Inquirer” saw a temporary demotion in 2007 and a brief departure in 2008 to start his own blog, he returned in 2010 after an arbitrator’s ruling, agreeing to focus on sports and remove political views from his website and cable news appearances. This period demonstrated his resilience and commitment to his journalistic roots.
His career at ESPN began in 2003 as an analyst for “NBA Shootaround” (now “NBA Countdown”). He hosted “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on ESPN Radio from 2005-2008 and ESPN2’s “Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith” from 2005-2007. After a brief departure in 2009, Smith returned to ESPN in 2011, making significant contributions across their radio and television platforms. He became a permanent fixture on “First Take” in 2012, engaging in debates five days a week. In September 2022, he launched “K[no]w Mercy with Stephen A. Smith,” a podcast co-produced with his company, Mr. SAS Productions, and Cadence13. His memoir, “Straight Shooter; A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes,” became a New York Times Best Seller after its release in January 2023. He signed a new contract with ESPN in 2025 worth over $100 million over five years.
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