RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed.
Credit: The Stephen A. Smith Show
Inside the NBA joining ESPN meant less Stephen A. Smith on the network’s basketball coverage, and that’s exactly what he wanted.
Smith was joined by Shaquille O’Neal on his SiriusXM Radio show this week, where the four-time NBA champion promoted his Dunkman series and discussed LeBron James being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. But before letting O’Neal go, Smith made sure to praise his ESPN colleague for the job he, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson did on Inside the NBA last season. And while Smith enjoyed seeing Inside the NBA move to ESPN, he really appreciated that it reduced the network’s need for his services at night.
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“Very proud of you and the crew and the job that y’all did Inside the NBA coming from TNT to ESPN last year,” Smith told O’Neal . “Loved it. Loved the fact that y’all was doing the show because it means I didn’t have to do it anymore. I ain’t have to stay up all hours of the night doing that damn show in studio. So, I was very happy about that. Thank ya. I was very happy for y’all.”
ESPN still carries NBA Countdown as shoulder programming for game nights when Inside is off. But as the network’s secondary studio show, Smith is no longer part of it.
When ESPN agreed to license Inside the NBA from TNT Sports, there was immediate concern about whether the network would meddle with what has long been considered the best studio show. Would ESPN temper Barkley? Would they turn Inside into Countdown ? Would they force Inside the NBA to showcase Stephen A. Smith?
Inside’s relationship with ESPN wasn’t perfect from a schedule standpoint last season, but the answer was thankfully ‘no’ to all of the above. Inside the NBA is still Shaq, Ernie, Kenny and Chuck. It’s not Shaq, Ernie, Kenny, Chuck and SAS as some feared it might become.
When Smith’s new contract with ESPN was announced in March 2025, it was reported that he would take a step back from Countdown and the network’s NBA game coverage. But the addition of Inside caused some to wonder whether Smith would try to force his way onto the best studio show in sports. And if there was going to be a time where it made sense for Smith to force his way onto the show, last season would have been it with the New York Knicks breaking their 53-year championship drought. But the championship came and went without Smith being featured alongside Shaq and crew.
The only issue Smith had with Inside the NBA being integrated into ESPN, however, was the fact that he was never trolled during O’Neal’s Shaqtin’ A Fool segment. But as far as becoming part of the cast, Smith seems content keeping his ESPN focus on First Take .
The post Stephen A. Smith thanks Shaquille O’Neal for saving him from ‘NBA Countdown’ appeared first on Awful Announcing .
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