Stephen A. Smith Says Breaks Silence on NBA Countdown Exit

Stephen A. Smith has never been busier, and now he’s making it clear why his role on ESPN’s NBA Countdown has shifted.

The $100 million analyst claims it was his decision to stop appearing on NBA Countdown after ESPN announced a a new-look team for the show.

Rumors that he was cut were swirling.

Smith, the face of First Take, host of two SiriusXM radio shows and operator of his own production company, addressed the chatter on The Stephen A. Smith Show.

“I didn’t want to be on the show,” Smith said. “I negotiated coming off of it. Now I love doing NBA Countdown, 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 First Take the next day, the next morning, and to do an abundance of other things that I aspire to do.”

Malika Andrews will host alongside analysts Brian Windhorst, Michael Malone and Kendrick Perkins, with Shams Charania contributing regularly.

Smith added that this wasn’t sudden, it was already out there months earlier. The new deal would mean Smith “will not be a regular on ESPN’s premiere NBA pregame show anymore,” Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported. Smith pointed directly to that reporting, saying the situation had been accurately reflected long before social media narratives took hold.

Even with the shift, he isn’t disappearing from ESPN’s NBA coverage entirely.

“If they need me in L.A. for NBA Countdown, I’ll be there,” Smith said. “Matter of fact, I have days in my contract to be there. I just don’t have to be there full time.”