Stephen A. Smith is a prominent American sports television and radio personality, journalist, and NBA analyst. He is known for his appearances on ESPN's SportsCenter, NBA Countdown, and First Take, where he provides commentary alongside Molly Qerim. Smith also contributes as a columnist for ESPN and The Philadelphia Inquirer. His career encompasses various roles in sports media, solidifying his presence as a recognizable and influential figure in sports broadcasting.
On October 14, 1967, Stephen Anthony Smith, also known as Stephen A., was born. He later became an American sports television personality, sports radio host, and sports journalist.
In 1986, Stephen A. Smith graduated from Thomas Edison High School in Queens.
In 1991, Stephen A. Smith graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication.
In 1992, Stephen A. Smith's older brother, Basil, passed away in a car accident.
In 1994, Stephen A. Smith began working as a writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, covering the Philadelphia 76ers as an NBA columnist and eventually becoming a general sports columnist.
In 1999, Stephen A. Smith started his television career on the now-defunct cable network CNN/SI.
In 2004, Stephen A. Smith made statements indicating a lack of knowledge about hockey, such as claiming tie games still existed even after the NHL abolished them following the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
On April 11, 2005, Stephen A. Smith became the host of a weekday noon to 2 p.m. radio show on WEPN in New York City with Brandon Tierney.
In August 2005, Stephen A. Smith started hosting a daily hour-long show on ESPN called Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith.
In January 2007, the show "Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith" was cancelled, after which he concentrated on basketball analysis.
On February 2, 2007, Stephen A. Smith made his acting debut on the ABC soap opera General Hospital in a cameo appearance as a television reporter.
On August 23, 2007, The Philadelphia Inquirer announced that Stephen A. Smith would no longer be writing columns and would be demoted back to the position of general assignment reporter.
On September 20, 2007, Stephen A. Smith's radio show was shifted to the 2-4 p.m. slot, with the second hour broadcast nationally on ESPN Radio.
In 2007, Stephen A. Smith was in the Chris Rock film I Think I Love My Wife.
In April 2008, Stephen A. Smith's radio show on WEPN came to an end as he sought to expand his career in television.
In 2008, The Philadelphia Inquirer ended its relationship with Stephen A. Smith, coinciding with Smith starting his own blog, stephena.com.
On April 17, 2009, Stephen A. Smith announced on his website that he would be leaving ESPN on May 1, 2009.
On May 1, 2009, Stephen A. Smith officially left ESPN. Reports indicate that ESPN and Smith could not reach an agreement during negotiations.
In November 2009, Stephen A. Smith became an on-air contributor to Fox Sports Radio and broke the story of Allen Iverson's retirement.
In 2009, Stephen A. Smith described himself as an independent.
On January 4, 2010, Stephen A. Smith became a Fox Sports Radio morning show host, replacing Steve Czaban.
In February 2010, Stephen A. Smith returned to The Philadelphia Inquirer after winning an arbitrator's ruling, agreeing to remove political views from his website and cable news appearances.
On February 1, 2011, ESPN announced that Stephen A. Smith would return to ESPN as a columnist for ESPN.com and host weekday local radio shows on 1050 ESPN Radio New York and 710 ESPN Radio Los Angeles.
In early 2011, Stephen A. Smith became a resident FSR NBA insider and ended his morning show.
On April 24, 2012, Stephen A. Smith left LA 710 ESPN.
On April 30, 2012, it was announced that Stephen A. Smith would be joining First Take on a permanent, five-days-per-week basis under a new format called "Embrace Debate" with Skip Bayless.
In May 2012, Stephen A. Smith replaced Robin Lundberg alongside Ryan Ruocco and debuted the Stephen A. Smith & Ryan Ruocco Show on 98.7 WEPN.
In the summer of 2013, Stephen A. Smith left ESPN for Sirius XM Radio, joining Chris Russo's Mad Dog Sports Channel.
On July 25, 2014, Stephen A. Smith made controversial remarks on First Take regarding women and domestic abuse in the Ray Rice situation.
On July 29, 2014, Stephen A. Smith was suspended by ESPN for a week due to his controversial remarks.
On August 6, 2014, Stephen A. Smith returned to ESPN after serving a one-week suspension.
Beginning in 2014, Stephen A. Smith appeared in a series of Oberto all-natural beef jerky commercials as "The Little Voice in Your Stomach", alongside sports figures.
In 2014, Chip Kelly made multiple roster decisions that drew criticism.
In late 2014, Stephen A. Smith signed a multi-year deal with ESPN paying him over $3 million per year.
On March 9, 2015, during an episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith commented on Philadelphia Eagles' head coach Chip Kelly's roster moves, suggesting they made some people uncomfortable.
On May 8, 2015, LeSean McCoy admitted in an interview with ESPN The Magazine that he didn't see eye to eye with Chip Kelly and believed some roster moves were racially motivated.
On June 11, 2015, Stephen A. Smith received criticism for a comment he made about female soccer players during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup while on SportsCenter.
On March 31, 2016, Stephen A. Smith appeared as Brick on General Hospital and has made guest appearances in the role every year since.
On November 5, 2016, Stephen A. Smith joined Top Rank's broadcasting team for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas boxing pay-per-view event.
On January 17, 2017, Stephen A. Smith moved from Sirius XM's Mad Dog Sports channel back to ESPN, hosting a daily two-hour program.
In August 2017, Stephen A. Smith criticized NBA player Zach Randolph after he was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell.
In 2017, Stephen A. Smith wore Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' jersey on two occasions on First Take: once after the Dallas Cowboys' elimination by the Packers, and again during a special taping in Dallas, where he was booed by the live audience.
In 2018, after J. R. Smith's blunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Stephen A. Smith jokingly delivered his "Stay off the weed!" line at a live First Take taping, implying the blunder was due to being high. The Warriors won the series.
In May 2019, Stephen A. Smith criticized NBA player D'Angelo Russell after he was cited for marijuana possession at LaGuardia Airport.
On December 11, 2019, in an interview with GQ, Stephen A. Smith revealed he has two daughters and that he was once engaged but did not marry due to reasons related to his job and money.
In 2019, Stephen A. Smith signed a new contract with ESPN worth approximately $60 million over five years and became a UFC commentator.
In 2020, Stephen A. Smith served as a commentator for the after-party coverage of the 92nd Academy Awards on ABC.
In 2020, Stephen A. Smith served as a commentator for the after-party coverage of the 92nd Academy Awards on ABC.
On June 10, 2021, Stephen A. Smith broke into the soccer coverage space.
On June 14, 2021, Stephen A. Smith followed up with another soccer segment called "Ain't No Way".
In June 2021, Stephen A. Smith criticized NBA player Alex Caruso after he was arrested in Texas for marijuana possession.
In 2021, after ESPN acquired broadcasting rights for the NHL, Stephen A. Smith began discussing hockey more often on First Take and Stephen A.'s World, including criticizing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and comparing the Toronto Maple Leafs' playoff failures to the Dallas Cowboys'.
In 2022, Stephen A. Smith continued talking about hockey more often on First Take and Stephen A.’s World, after ESPN acquired broadcasting rights for the NHL in the United States as of the 2021-2022 season.
On November 7, 2024, following the 2024 United States presidential election, Stephen A. Smith stated he would consider running for president if he had a reasonable chance of victory.
In 2024, Stephen A. Smith announced he voted for Kamala Harris in the election during an appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher, expressing disappointment in her performance and feeling like a fool.
In February 2025, Stephen A. Smith clarified that he has no plans to run for the presidency, preferring his role as a pundit. These comments were made on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, and during an interview on Hannity.
In 2025, Smith signed a new contract with ESPN worth over $100 million over five years.
In a 2025 episode of his podcast, Smith describes himself as a "proud capitalist", stating his belief in making money.
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