NBA
Why was Stephen A. Smith removed from ESPN’s NBA countdown lineup?
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated37 minutes ago on November 18, 2025
For the 2025-26 NBA season, several companies have media rights deals to cover games. One of them is the sports media icon, ESPN. They have been airing NBA games for over 40 years.
Ahead of primetime matchups, ESPN has a pregame show called NBA Countdown. For over two decades, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had been part of the show. However, Smith is being removed from NBA Countdown for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. An unexpected demotion for the long-time ESPN employee.
Stephen A. Smith will not appear on NBA Countdown for the remainder of 2025-26
Stephen A Smith is off NBA Countdown
Smith first joined the show in 2003 pic.twitter.com/XlMJru8SfT
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) November 17, 2025
After two decades of appearing on NBA Countdown, Stephen A. Smith will not be with the show in 2025-256. ESPN recently released a graphic for NBA Countdown on X. It featured familiar faces like Malika Andrews, Kendrick Perkins, Brian Windhorst, and Shams Charania. Long-time ESPN employee Stephen A. Smith was notably left off the graphic.
Stephen A. Smith had been on the show’s precursor, NBA Shootaround. He continued to appear on the show when it rebranded to NBA Countdown in 2012. ESPN’s new NBA Countdown crew will make its debut on Wednesday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. EST. Joining the NBA Countdown crew in a full-time role this year is former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
New look at ESPN’s ‘NBA Countdown’ team – debuting Wednesday
Details: https://t.co/KugeMZriiz pic.twitter.com/EXIKTLkBqH
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) November 17, 2025
In early 2025, ESPN signed Stephen A. Smith to a five-year, $105 million contract extension. That includes a separate, three-year, $36 million contract with SiriusXM. While Smith is being removed from NBA Countdown for the season, he is still committed to ESPN. In September, Stephen A. said he would take any role to “help” the company.
Fifty-eight-year-old Stephen A. Smith is still a central figure in the ESPN universe. Smith is on First Take from 10:00 a.m. EST to 12:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. Additionally, he regularly makes appearances on Monday Night Countdown. What’s next for Stephen A. Smith after his removal from ESPN’s NBA Countdown for the 2025-26 season?
