Senior ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith is one of the most influential mouthpieces in the NBA world. The 55-year-old veteran TV personality is known for his bold and polarizing takes on the proceedings of the league. Decades into the business, Smith has stamped his unshakable place in the hoops community with his sheer popularity and analysis. However, the star analyst himself faced rampant scrutiny from his foe, which almost cost him his job during his early days. Facing controversies has in fact been a usual day at the office for the veteran analyst.

Recently, he found himself inside a deep well when fans criticized him for his whoppingly huge annual salary. In fact, he has earned more than every NBA head coach except for the San Antonio Spurs‘ Gregg Popovich. Contrarily, Smith once even complained about getting underpaid. While these instances create questions about his confidence, Smith himself answered them in a recent podcast.

Stephen A. Smith opens up on his early days with ESPN

Smith has always made bold opinions about the game and players, irrespective of their popularity. Notably, he has trashed LeBron James several times when it comes to the GOAT debate.

Importantly, he also attained his stature in part by speaking his mind without fearing the consequences. He speaks about his growth in the NBA world in a recent podcast with Paul George, where he also opened up about his unshakable place in showbiz.

On a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George, Smith opened up about an episode from his early days when a Sports Illustrated?reporter scrutinized and questioned his place in the ESPN office.

Smith said, “He gonna sit up there and write, ‘why the hell ain’t Steven A laid off?’ Well, first?of all, I’m number one.” Interestingly, Smith couldn’t remember his foe’s name and he also added,?“Forgot his name because he’s real- …He’s irrelevant now.”

He further went on to talk about his success as a beat writer for ESPN and how helped the company to churn money with his work.

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Whatever said and done, though, despite his good work as an analyst, fans couldn’t digest the fact that he earns more than NBA coaches. So, they recently took him out to trash on social media comments about it.

Fans trashed Smith for his whopping paycheck

In 2019, Smith became the highest paid ESPN broadcaster when he signed a massive deal worth $8 million, according to New?York Post. Four years down the line, he mints $12 million per annum, which is more than almost every NBA coach. In response to the news, fans swarmed social media comments to trash the star analyst.

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What do you make of Stephen A. Smith’s story from his early days? Let us know in the comments!