Last Friday was an infamous day for some renowned members of the NBA broadcast community.
As a part of their third wave of layoffs, ESPN fired as many as 20 on-air personalities, including the likes of Jalen Rose, Max Kellerman, and even Jeff Van Gundy.
The premise was to let go of most of the people making a million+, as Disney — ESPN’s parent company — looked to eliminate at least 7,000 jobs.
Unsurprisingly, Stephen A. Smith was safe, but that doesn’t mean he was satisfied with the way things went down in his workplace.
That’s why he took to his podcast to call the company out, stating that his workmates deserved better, and even wondering whether he would be the next in line to be let go.
I will miss the colleagues of mine who were let go this week dearly pic.twitter.com/lNbuDjRG8s
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 4, 2023
Smith took some time to thank and shout out some of his former colleagues after all their years of service, specifically talking about Jalen Rose and Jeff Van Gundy.
He also predicted that it wouldn’t be long before we get to see the former lifelong NBA coach landing another job in the sports broadcast industry.
ESPN hasn’t announced who’s going to take over for Van Gundy in prime NBA broadcasts, with J.J. Redick, Doris Burke, and even Doc Rivers as potential replacements.
As for Stephen A., it’s highly unlikely that the company decides to part ways with him — at least for the time being — granted that he’s one of the most popular, renowned, and controversial pundits still on the network.
Then again, you never know what can happen in this business.
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