“Way overpaid” – NBA fans react as Stephen A. Smith’s whopping yearly salary of $40,000,000 becomes public

Stephen A. Smith’s contract details with ESPN and SiriusXM were revealed this week, giving fans a clear look at his massive annual salary.

According to The Athletic, Smith signed a five-year deal with ESPN worth $105 million and a three-year deal with SiriusXM worth $36 million. He makes about $21 million a year from ESPN and $12 million from SiriusXM. He reportedly brings in $7 million from podcast appearances and his YouTube channel.

“Stephen A. Smith’s annual salary is pushing $40 million, per The Athletic,” @YahooSports wrote. “His ESPN deal is for five years and $105 million and his new SiriusXM contract is for three years and $36 million. Combined with the revenue from his YouTube channel and podcast, this brings him close to $40 million a year.”

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The post went viral, sparking reactions from fans who were stunned by Smith's reported salary.

“WAY overpaid,” @Shady_Justin wrote.

VegasCheesehead

@Shady_Justin

@YahooSports WAY overpaid

“In my opinion…..just reinforces why I don’t need ESPN or SiriusXM for sports information. I don’t know anyone that enjoys listening to Smith,” @farsideagm said.

“Meanwhile, my 6 year old also says dumb sh*t and never shuts up. All for free,” @JoshChavis65 said.

“Never did anyone so unskilled in their craft relative to pay, exist,” @KevinRVasquez wrote.

“Stephen A gets $20 million for a sports show that draws 450k viewers,” Jason Whitlock wrote.

“I can yap bullshit for 1/2 of that salary....hire me,” @THEEJoeMess said.

While Stephen A. Smith is on a lucrative deal at ESPN, “First Take” is facing a big challenge after co-host Molly Qerim left the show earlier this week. She ended her 10-year stint after contract talks reportedly fell through.

Stephen A. Smith gets trolled by Emmanuel Acho for Molly Qerim announcement

Stephen A. Smith shared the news about Molly Qerim’s decision to end her 10-year partnership with ESPN.

"The details, quite frankly, are none of y’all’ business," Smith said. "It’s not as if I know all the details. It was a contract negotiation that was going on. ESPN certainly did not want to lose her. But in the end, she made her decision to walk away from the show effective immediately.

"And that story is for her to tell. Do I have an idea, of course I do. Am I going to share it with you? No. Because again that’s her story to tell.”

Not everyone was satisfied with Smith’s explanation as Emmanuel Acho said the way it was shared felt off. He criticized Smith for being vague while still revealing just enough to get people speculating.

"Here’s my thing, though. Don’t tell us the details, then tell us you’re not going to tell us the details,” Acho said. “He said she abruptly resigned. That’s a detail. And then you’re going to say, ‘But don’t ask me the details because I’m not going to tell you all, that’s none of your business. Oh, and I don’t know the details.'”

With ESPN offering little information and Stephen A. Smith’s comments, speculation of a bigger fallout behind the scenes is making the rounds.

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About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia is an NBA, WNBA, and tennis journalist at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in the field with The SportsRush.

Advait has a love of basketball that stems from playing the game, and has represented Mumbai North at the Inter-District State Championship and Maharashtra at the ASISC National Games.

His favorite team is the New Orleans Pelicans, although Advait also has an affinity for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. His favorite player of all time was Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers legend's undeniable talent and mentality were just unignorable. As for players in the current game, Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, and Kyrie Irving are top of Advait's list.

When not watching or writing about sports, Advait is a fan of true crime shows, board games and console gaming.

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