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Stephen A. Smith's net worth in 2023 is currently estimated to be around $20 million. The 55-year-old has been the face of ESPN on television for over a decade now, and thanks to his large personality, tendency to go viral, and connections in the sports and entertainment world, he looks set to stay at the top for years to come. Not to mention he's adding Skip Bayless' former running-mate Shannon Sharpe to the First Take lineup too. Here's a quick look at Stephen A. Smith, his time on ESPN, and what's coming up in the future.
Stephen A. Smith's net worth in 2023
As mentioned above, Stephen A. Smith's net worth is estimated at around $20 million. Much of that stems from his perch atop the ESPN ladder as one of the sports giant's highest paid employees. While Smith has recently been dethroned by the megadeals of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and more recently Pat McAfee's move to ESPN, he is still the biggest name on the network. Smith has branched out to different platforms better than nearly any other arm of bigger legacy sports media organizations have individually. He's built a following on his podcast, the Stephen A. Smith show, in addition to his time on First Take, so it's clear he and his team do a lot of work.
Stephen A. Smith's career timeline
Smith has been in sports journalism for over 30 years, since finishing his undergraduate degree at Winston-Salem State University back in 1992. After graduating, Smith entered the workforce, taking a handful of newspaper reporting jobs, starting in his native North Carolina at Winston-Salem and Greensboro before eventually making his way to the Philadelphia Inquirer in the mid 1990s. Smith stayed there for 14 years, working his way up through covering the Philadelphia 76ers beat to having his own column. Smith has been a pioneer for black sports journalists, at the time being one of just 21 black sportswriters with their own general sports column in the United States.
However, in 2007 Smith was demoted and his column ended, which resulted in him leaving the paper in 2008. We don't know for sure what happened to this day, but it is speculated that his demotion was the result of Smith's growing television and radio commitments in addition to his writing ones.
Across the early to mid 2000s Stephen A. gradually became a fixture on regional and national ESPN Radio and television broadcasts. Although his career began with basketball, Smith had his own general sports radio and TV show in addition to his various other commitments. His initial forays into radio and TV were ultimately canceled around the same time his column was. But Smith was still a prominent force in sports journalism across the country. He continued with his various TV and writing commitments, before landing the full-time First Take gig he is known for today in 2012.
Stephen A. Smith news today
In1 the last decade, Smith has cemented his place at the top of the sports media world. Through partnerships with Skip Bayless, Max Kellerman, and now Shannon Sharpe, First Take is now itself a sports entertainment event. Smith has utilized the full range new media to stay at the forefront of sports discussion. For better and for worse, Smith has become a household name in sports. His recent spat with Lonzo Ball is the best illustration of the power he has, as well as the pitfalls that also present themselves from time to time.
