Among those appearing on the special in some form will be WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, former Lakers teammate Pau Gasol, and former Lakers GM Jerry West. Stephen A. Smith will provide some thoughts on Bryant and his legacy while Snoop Dogg has planned a musical tribute to him.
Stephen A. Smith Rumors
In Wednesday’s edition of First Take, Smith said that the 28-year-old Irving should retire from the NBA. Smith said: “No, he’s not. He’s not worth it at all. As a matter of fact, let me say this straight up and down, I think Kyrie Irving should retire. I think he should announce his retirement today. Clearly you don’t want to play basketball bad enough. Now, you may still want to get the $33.4 million … Kyrie Irving has not prioritized basketball. I’m not saying he doesn’t want to play all together. I’m saying he hasn’t prioritized it. How fair is that to the Brooklyn Nets? How fair is that to Sean Marks? How fair is that to Steve Nash? A coached that he endorsed bringing onboard. A coach that he wanted. A coach that he fully supported. How fair is that to his brother, Kevin Durant?”
Rockets staffers who want to know what Tilman Fertitta is thinking make a point of tuning in to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN. They suspect Stephen A., who has often had Fertitta as a guest (and fawns over him more than anyone else in the media) is Fertitta’s mouthpiece. On February 6, Stephen A. sent strong signals that A) he was close enough to Fertitta to speak for him, and B) Fertitta had little confidence in D’Antoni and Morey.
ShowtimeForum: “I’m feeling good for Jeanie Buss, but I’m also feeling good for LeBron James.” Magic Johnson in his interview with Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/VtCV11QIPd
Stephen A. Smith will be an even bigger part of ESPN’s NBA coverage going forward. Smith is being added to “NBA Countdown” for the rest of the playoffs and through the Finals, The Post has learned. Smith, 52 and the highest paid commentator at the network at around $8 million per year, is already omnipresent on ESPN, beginning with his lead role on “First Take.”
“The Boardroom is not being renewed following two seasons on ESPN+,” ESPN said in a statement to The Post. “Thirty Five Ventures are great partners and we look forward to continuing to discuss any future projects.” “The Boardroom” was publicized at its start as a program to “bring fans behind the scenes of the modern boardroom, showcasing the evolution of sports business through the minds of athletes, sports executives and tech moguls alike.” It didn’t make that many waves, except for one episode that featured Stephen A. Smith.
ABC and ESPN are taking The Last Dance to overtime. The broadcast network will air an hour-long special called After the Dance With Stephen A. Smith: A SportsCenter Special at 8 p.m. May 19, two days after the conclusion of ESPN’s breakout docuseries about Michael Jordan’s last year with the Chicago Bulls. Smith and basketball legend Magic Johnson will discuss their biggest takeaways from The Last Dance and be joined by other NBA greats as well.
