Stephen A Smith has been a longtime member of the ESPN network. In this tenure, the media veteran has garnered a significant audience through his bold takes and debates. We all remember the time when Smith and Kellerman would make loud arguments on First Take. Nevertheless, the former’s contract is coming to an end! And just like in the NBA, the critic is expecting a lucrative extension. Now, there is no doubt that Stephen A. has been the backbone of ESPN when it comes to covering the NBA.

The network has fired multiple employees in the past. Smith, on the other hand, has always proven to be reliable. However, the 56-year-old is expecting a 5-year contract extension worth $125 million. That is double his current paycheck. Not to mention, his contract will expire in 2025. ESPN offered him a deal that would pay him $18-19 million a year, reportedly. Then again, that’s nowhere close to what he desires. If anything, failing to offer Stephen A. Smith his desired contract can lead to a major shift in the sponsors’ mindset.

How? On Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, the former Warrior explained how Smith’s own platform can help him. “Because his leverage is now, he has his own platform… and that’s what a lot of people at ESPN when they made that big cut none of them had a safety net to fall right so when they got replaced or moved out in fire there was no structure for them to keep their name alive,” Arenas said.

After citing another prime example in Shannon Sharpe, Gil continued, “Stephen A. Smith got smart and built his own platform and then it’s going to take a year, two years if you don’t pay him that, he’s going to go here, pull full time in there, seven days a week, talk about whatever the f*** he wants. He can drown you out and then the sponsors are going to go like, ‘We can just go directly to the source’. So at some point, they’re going to have to pay the 22, the 25. They can get drowned out,” Arenas explained.

It’s been about two years since the veteran analyst came on YouTube. The Stephen A. Smith Show, formerly known as K[NO]W MERCY has garnered 812K subscribers and over 171 million views. Not only that, but his show continues to grow on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Well, the talks around his contract have re-ignited after Adrian Wojnarowski’s retirement from ESPN. In fact, Woj was also on a huge deal that made him $7 million a year but instead decided to walk away with 3 years remaining on his contract.

But it won’t be an issue for Woj, who will be the General Manager of the men’s basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure. On the other hand, Stephen A. Smith is only looking to get paid what he’s worth. If he manages to land the $125 million deal, he will become ESPN’s highest-paid employee, followed by Troy Aikman at $18 million. But how does Smith plan to land this expensive deal?

Stephen A Smith’s massive following will probably work in his favor

The ESPN analyst has around 12 million followers across different social media platforms. As Gilbert Arenas mentioned, Stephen A. Smith will have sponsors running behind him, if he doesn’t continue at ESPN. Believe it or not, the hoops audience is a huge fan of his famous quotes including, “LeBron James and Dwyane Wade don’t just beat you, they snatch your heart,” and a lot more. There is no doubt that they’ll continue following the media veteran on his platform if he leaves ESPN.

This puts a lot of pressure on ESPN to pay Stephen A. Smith the desired contract. Yes, $125 million is big money, not only in terms of the media’s perspective but also considering the NBA. For instance, out of the 500+ NBA players, there are about 64 who make upwards of $25 million a year. It will be intriguing to see the network consider paying Smith upwards of $20 million a year.

The highest-paid coach, Steve Kerr, will be earning $17.5 million this year. Stephen A’s demand is definitely on top of the charts, but then again, the veteran is worth it. What are your thoughts? Do you think he’ll land his dream contract? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.