Stephen A. Smith is the face of ESPN’s First Take. Even when the show is notoriously known for sensationalism, it is always fun to see the analysts debate on the show. The people are what drive the show more than the analysis of the sport. Following his departure from the show Undisputed, NFL legend, Shannon Sharpe was looking for a new home.
Shannon Sharpe announced that he will start working on First Take on September 4th.
Stephen A. Smith shows love for his new co-host
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The day began with Stephen A. Smith sharing this iconic image of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on his Instagram. But as we look closely at the image, it is not the same.
Stephen A. shared the image with his face, replacing Dwyane Wade and Shannon Sharpe, replacing LeBron James. It’s not a secret that Shannon Sharpe is a really big fan of LeBron James, and this is bound to make him extremely happy.
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This picture of James and Wade is of him assisting the King with a bucket. This might be a metaphor for how Stephen A will be giving Shanon the chance to take the mantle and take the show forward at Stephen A’s house.
People are looking forward to what Sharpe can do and how the dynamic will be between Stephen A. and him on the show. Being people from two different generations and having different perspectives on the sport, it is sure to bring up major heat and debates on the show whenever these two go up against each other.
Why did Shannon leave Skip and join Stephen A. Smith?
Following his 14 seasons in the NFL, Sharpe started working as an announcer and commentator for the NFL. In 2016, he joined Skip Bayless on the show Undisputed and worked there until June 2023. Sharpe was unsure about his future after having various verbal conflicts with Skip Bayless, that felt personal to him.
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After having an open conversation with Tabitha Brown, where she told Sharpe, “I had a dream last night, God told me, It’s going to be okay for you to go ahead and do what you need to do”. This stuck with Sharpe, and it gave him the courage to take the decision to leave Undisputed and his 3 million USD a year contract.
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Now the fans are waiting for the Super Bowl winner to showcase his talents and defend James against Stephen A. Smith in First Take. Based on what we have seen from the recent episode of Shannon Sharpe’s podcast where Stephen A. Smith was a guest, the debates will be extremely entertaining to watch.
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