76ers vs Heat: Shannon Sharpe Regrets Missing Out On Millions vs Stephen A. Smith

After a dramatic finish to the 76ers-Heat game, Shannon Sharpe cried over spilled milk. The latest entrant to the ESPN NBA family, Shay Shay, has hit it straight off the bat with veteran Stephen A. Smith. The duo, often recognized as more entertaining than a certain “Undisputed”, revealed their betting deals on camera. And tonight the NFL legend expressed his missed opportunity to cash in from the veteran analyst A. Smith as he did recently.

Sharpe took to his X handle and wrote, “Should’ve bet @stephenasmith on this 76ers/Heat. Would’ve won another bet.” Importantly, the millionaire didn’t reveal the cash that he could have won. The Wednesday night game went down the wire and turned into anybody’s game until the final buzzer. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo couldn’t get the better of Joel Embiid & Co. in the playoff qualifier game. On the other hand, Shannon Sharpe has already got the better of Stephen A. Smith with a confident bet this season. Earlier, Sharpe placed a bet, claiming that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis would play over 65 games this season. 

Stephen A. Smith confidently said, “All I’m saying is I don’t know about that brother being available 65… ain’t no way in hell.” Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way Smith expected as AD beat his personal record, playing 76 games for the first time in his career.

After the losing bet, Sharpe made his colleague pay for an expensive meal worth $3000 in a fancy restaurant. Nevertheless, tonight isn’t the last day to place bets. The duo has an entire post-season ahead of them!

Jimmy Butler missed his opportunity to grab the 7th spot in the playoffs tonight. He has another chance on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls. Butler’s heroics are still fresh in the memory from the last year. Will he repeat the same this time around?

Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith’s salary and net worth

ESPN’s newest millionaire duo has taken the humor level a notch higher ever since Sharpe’s inclusion. Before coming joining hands with Stephen A. Smith, he was working alongside Skip Bayless at Fox Sports. A report revealed that the NFL legend earned half lesser than Bayless. The annual salary of Bayless mounted up to $6 million, while he was paid only around $3 million. However, things may have changed after he left the organization. The NFL veteran currently has a net worth of $14 million and he was expected to have a lot more during his career peak.

On the other hand, Stephen A. Smith, who has a net worth of $20 million, is the highest-paid employee at ESPN and one of the all-time favorites, with an annual salary of $12 million per year. Earlier he was criticized for earning more than almost every NBA coach.

Only Greg Popovich used to earn more than him with $16 million. However, within a matter of a season, three other coaches signed better contracts. Steve Kerr signed up for a 2-year contract worth $35 million, and Eric Spoelstra signed an 8-year contract worth $120 million.

However, Stephen A. Smith dropped a surprise after he hinted at leaving ESPN for hosting late-night television or maybe even politics. He also has his own show on YouTube (subscriber-wise smaller than Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay). Reports suggest that Smith’s current contractor might need to make an offer exceeding $20 million this time to retain the veteran’s services.

Will he decide to move on from sports media? Would such a move then give Shannon Sharpe much more of the spotlight? Time will tell.