Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Michael Kadlick

Stephen A. Smith Says New $100 Million ESPN Contract 'Took Too Long' to Finalize

Stephen A. Smith agreed on a mega-deal with ESPN on Thursday. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stephen A. Smith officially agreed to a five-year contract extension worth over $100 million with ESPN on Thursday. The deal bumps the 57-year-old's annual salary from $12 million to $20 million, and keeps him as the face of First Take while freeing up the rest of his schedule to "talk even more about politics."

Smith spoke about the extension on Friday's edition of First Take and while thanking the executives at ESPN who made it happen, chimed in with a joke.

"I got a lot of things that I want to achieve, a lot of things that I want to accomplish beyond this show and beyond the world of sports—but it all starts here," he said. "I'm always happy to be a part for the World Wide Leader. I'm always proud to be associated with this network and I'm happy that I'm going to be here for a lengthy period of time, for years to come.

"It took too damn long. I can tell you that much," he then said with a smile, alluding to the contract negotiations. "It took too damn long."

"Yeah, you're telling me!" co-host Molly Qerim quipped back. "I saw those mood swings."

Smith has been making plenty of headlines recently, not only for his contract extension with ESPN but also for his spat with LeBron James at Thursday night's Los Angeles Lakers game and his ongoing ties to a potential 2028 presidential run.

Perhaps the $8 million raise will weather the Stephen A. storm—for now anyway.


More on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Says New $100 Million ESPN Contract 'Took Too Long' to Finalize.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.