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Who’s ready to rumble this weekend? UFC 295 is promising an exciting matchup on Saturday (Nov. 11) when Jirí Procházka enters the ring seeking redemption. Last year, the previous UFC light heavyweight champion had to surrender his title due to injury, but now, he’s back to reclaim it when he goes against former middleweight champ Alex Pereira. The fight will begin at 10 p.m. ET, with preliminary matches starting at 8 p.m. ET.
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New York City’s Madison Square Garden will host the big event, but for those who can’t get a travel deal to see it in-person, you still have streaming options to livestream Procházka vs. Pereira.
Before the main event starts, there will be a co-main event featuring Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight interim). Other matches you can watch leading up to Procházka vs. Pereira include Mackenzie Dern vs. Jessica Andrade (strawweight), Matt Frevola vs. Benoit Saint Denis (lightweight), Diego Lopes vs. Pat Sabatini (featherweight), Steve Erceg vs. Alessandro Costa (flyweight), Tabatha Ricci vs. Loopy Godínez (strawweight), Mateusz Rebecki vs. Roosevelt Roberts (lightweight) and Nazim Sadykhov vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (lightweight).
When & How to Watch UFC: Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira
Preliminary fights will start on Saturday (Nov. 11) at 8 p.m. ET, which you can watch anywhere the ESPN channel is available or through ESPN+. The main card match will begin at 10 p.m. ET and will stream exclusively through ESPN+ on pay per view. To watch the match live without cable, you’ll need an ESPN+ subscription, then purchase the fight on PPV.
Already have an ESPN+ subscription? You can purchase the PPV match by logging into your account and buying it there for $79.99 or you can click here or the button below.
Don’t have ESPN+? The streaming platform doesn’t have a free trial, but does offer a variety of affordable plans to customize to your liking. Plans start at $10.99/month or you can save over 15% with an annual subscription for $109.99/year. For triple the amount of content, you can bundle Disney+ and Hulu for just $14.99/month. After signing up you’ll need to purchase the PPV fight, which you can do here.
Along with UFC 295, you’ll also have access to the entire ESPN+ library of exclusive and original content such as live games in other sports, NFL drafts, NFL playoffs, MLB games and on-demand videos, as well as access to content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider. Besides games, ESPN+ has original shows you can stream on-demand like game recaps, NBA finals and analyses hosted by Peyton Manning, a shorter version of NFL Primetime and full replays of historic NFL games.
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Boxing and MMA are facing off this weekend in the highly anticipated matchup of WBC and lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury against lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou. Presented by Top Rank, the combat sports crossover event will take place Saturday (Oct. 28) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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If you weren’t able to grab a travel deal to see the matches live, you have streaming options to view the action from home.
The major heavyweight exclusive boxing event will feature 10 rounds of Fury vs. Ngannou starting at 2 p.m. ET. This will be a pay-per-view match airing exclusively on ESPN+ for $80, which you can purchase here. Other matches you can check out include undefeated British competitors Fabio Wardley vs. David Adeleye in a 12-rounder, former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker vs. Canadian knockout artist Simon Kean in a 10-rounder, Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Junior Anthony Wright in a 10-rounder and Moses Itauma vs. Istvan Bernath in a six-rounder.
Before the main event airs on Saturday, you can tune into Road to Riyadh: Fury vs. Ngannou, a 30-minute all-access preview of the upcoming boxing event. You can view it live Friday (Oct. 27) at 6:30 a.m. ET on ESPN News. (We suggest using DirecTV Stream’s 5-day free trial here if you don’t have cable.) Plus, it’s available on-demand to rewatch through ESPN+, the ESPN app and ESPN.com.
Keep reading to learn how to livestream the boxing event online.
How to Stream Fury vs. Ngannou Online
Fury vs. Ngannou will begin livestreaming at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, which you can watch live through pay-per-view on ESPN+. The match can be purchased for $80 through ESPN+ if you’re a current subscriber, or you can click the button below.
Don’t have a subscription? You can bundle the PPV with an ESPN+ subscription, which will give you access the the feature event as well as ESPN+’s entire library of sports coverage and exclusives. You can sign up here or through the button below.
Subscriptions through ESPN+ start at $10.99/month or you can save 15% on an annual subscription for $109.99/year. A subscription grants access to exclusive ESPN+ content, including UFC PPV preliminary matches, live games for other sports, NFL drafts, NFL playoffs, MLB games and exclusive on-demand videos. You’ll also receive access to content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider, original shows to stream on-demand such as game recaps, NBA finals, analyses hosted by Peyton Manning and more.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
It’s finally happening! UFC Fight Night is back on Saturday (Oct. 14), and it features a matchup you don’t want to miss. The main card event will see No. 11 ranked featherweight Sodiq Yusuff go against No. 13 ranked Edson Barboza at 7 p.m. ET at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
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If you couldn’t score a travel deal or tickets to see the fight in-person, you can still catch the main card event as well as the preliminaries on ESPN+.
While Yusuff vs. Barboza will see who takes home the title, the co-main event will have former UFC title challenger and No. 9 ranked flyweight contender Jennifer Maia enter the ring against against No. 10 Viviane Araujo. It’s a particularly important match for Maia as, if she wins, she’ll secure not only another win, but the longest win streak of her fighting career.
Other fights you can expect to see include Jonathan Martinez vs. Adrian Yanez (bantamweight), Michel Pereira vs. Andre Petroski (middleweight), Edgar Chairez vs. Daniel Lacerda (catchweight) and Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman (bantamweight).
Keep reading to learn the streaming options for Yusuff vs. Barboza.
When & How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza
Preliminary matches will begin at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday (Oct. 14), which you can watch anywhere ESPN airs including ESPN+. If you have cable, tune into whatever channel ESPN is on — just check your channel guide through your cable provider to find the channel.
Don’t have cable? You may be able to watch it through an HD antenna or you can use live TV providers including DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, SlingTV, Philo and fuboTV that have free trials and promos going on, which means you could watch the preliminary matches for free.
The main card event will be livestreamed exclusively on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET, which current ESPN+ subscribers can tune into for no additional cost.
Don’t have a subscription? ESPN+ doesn’t have a free trial, but it is one of the cheapest streaming platforms on the market at $10.99/month or you can save over 15% with an annual membership for $109.99/year.
Besides UFC Fight Night, a subscription will also give you access to exclusive live events, dozens of sports series, TV shows and groundbreaking originals from the top names in sports including The Captain, America’s Caddie, Man in the Arena With Tom Brady, More Than an Athlete With Michael Strahan, Our Time: Baylor Basketball, Al Davis vs. The NFL, Vick, Be Like Water, Breakaway, the entire 30 for 30 series and more.
For additional savings, consider bundling ESPN+ with Hulu and Disney+ or you can check out Hulu + Live TV for access to hundreds of channels including ESPN, Starz, Showtime and more.
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Source: Mario Tama / Getty / Spectrum
Spectrum customers breathed a sigh of relief on Monday, September 11, when Spectrum’s owner, Charter and Disney struck a last-minute deal.
The new deal between Charter and Spectrum came in the nick of time, delivering millions of Spectrum subscribers to channels like ABC and ESPN so they could watch the premiere of Monday Night Football and watch Aaron Rodgers’ debut season as a New York Jet come to an abrupt end.
Engadget reports the new deal will come with streaming-related perks for Spectrum subscribers, like access to ESPN’s standalone streaming service that is currently still in the works.
Per Engadget:
Those subscribers will also have access to the ad-supported basic tier of Disney+ in the coming months, while Spectrum TV Select Plus customers will be able to check out ESPN+ as part of their plan. According to CNBC, Charter will pay higher subscriber fees to Disney.
It seems that Charter customers having access to ad-supported versions of Disney’s streaming services was a point of contention between the companies before they finally reached a deal. In the meantime, Disney started offering Hulu + Live TV at a discounted rate of $50 a month for three months (the usual rate is $70) ahead of a price increase in October.
As part of the new deal, Spectrum subscribers will gain access to 19 of the Disney-owned networks, including the Disney Channel, FX, the Nat Geo Channel, and ABC-owned networks.
More than 32 million Spectrum subscribers have been in the dark since August 31 due to the dispute. While it was going on, both companies’ stock prices took a hit, with Reuters reporting Spectrum’s shares fell 2% due to ESPN not being available to customers, while Disney’s shares fell to 2.7%.
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Source: SOPA Images / Getty / Charter Spectrum
Charter Spectrum customers, unfortunately, got caught up in Charter Communications’ dispute with Disney.
Reuters reports Disney let Charter Communications and its customers know it was not playing when it pulled several channels, including ESPN and ABC, over an unresolved distribution agreement.
The move left Spectrum customers in massive markets like New York and Los Angeles in the dark and during significant sporting events like the return of College Football and the U.S. Open.
Charter Spectrum serves more than 32 million customers in 41 states and was paying Disney roughly $2.2 billion in annual programming costs.
Per Reuters:
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Charter flashed a message on screen that urged viewers to contact Disney. “We offered Disney a fair deal, yet they are demanding an excessive increase,” it read.
“The rising cost of programming is the single greatest factor in higher cable TV prices, and we are fighting to hold the line on programming rates imposed on us by companies like Disney.”
The dispute is mainly over sports network ESPN, which does not have a streaming service and is a big cable attraction despite losing subscribers each year to cord-cutting.
This Dispute Could Push Disney Into A Direct-to-Consumer Model
As expected, the “unresolved distribution” between the two companies is hurting both company’s stock prices. Reuters reports Spectrum’s shares fell 2% after losing what it describes as the “lynchpin” of its video service in ESPN.
Disney’s shares fell to 2.7%, joining other media companies, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Global, which lost between 4% and 6% thanks to down numbers on their streaming platforms.
The website further reports if this dispute continues, it could speed up the House of The Mouse’s direct-to-consumer ambitions. Returning CEO Bob Iger said the company is actively searching for a “strategic partner” to start a joint venture or purchase a stake in the sports network to bring it directly to customers.
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Mark Jackson, one of the most reliable voices regarding NBA coverage, was yet another big name to be shown the door by ESPN. In a statement, the former NBA player and coach reflected on his time with the cable sports network via a classy response.
Mark Jackson, 58, took to his Instagram page on Monday (July 31) and revealed details of his ouster from ESPN, joining the likes of Jalen Rose, Jeff Van Gundy, and a host of other notable names.
From Instagram
“This morning, unexpectedly, I was informed that my services were no longer needed at ESPN. Although shocked and dismayed with the suddenness of it all, I would like to thank ESPN and all the staff of the NBA ESPN crew for allowing me to be a part of the organization for the past 15+ years.
Jackson remained gracious throughout the statement, thanking fans for tuning in to hear his play-by-play analysis of NBA games. Jackson’s basketball knowledge and straight talk were appreciated aspects of his coverage, along with his signature “Mama there go that man” tagline whenever a player made a spectacular play.
According to a report from Deadline, Jackson will be replaced by former Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers and Doris Burke in the slot he occupied with Van Gundy alongside main play caller, Mike Breen.
Many thanks to Coach Mark Jackson for his contributions to the game.
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The dividing line between music fans and sports fans was all but erased at the 31st annual ESPY Awards, which were presented at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday (July 12). Lil Wayne opened the show performing his 2008 hit “A Milli.” H.E.R. performed her latest single, the elegant power ballad “The Journey,” as a tribute to the 30th anniversary of basketball coach Jimmy Valvano’s inspirational speech at the first ESPYS in 1993 when he was terminally ill with cancer.
Several other music stars were also on board for the three-hour show, which was telecast on ABC. Quavo and Lil Dicky were among the presenters. Common narrated a segment paying tribute to Liam Hendriks, who battled back from Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Angel Reese, who won best breakthrough athlete for leading the Louisiana State University women’s basketball team to the college title this past spring, has become a pop-culture star. Reese recently made a cameo in Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again” music video, in which featured act Cardi B raps, “I been ballin’ so damn hard could’ve went to LSU.”
This is the second year in a row that a woman has won in the gender-neutral best breakthrough athlete category. Skier Eileen Gu won last year. This is the first time in the history of the ESPYS that women have won back-to-back awards in this category.
Reese competed in the category with Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark, her NCAA finals foe. But Clark also won an award this year – best college athlete, women’s sports.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs won two awards – best athlete, men’s sports and best NFL player. The Chiefs also won as best team. Argentina soccer superstar Lionel Messi also won two awards – best championship performance and best soccer player.
ESPN sports analyst Pat McAfee gave an opening monologue, though there was no formal host, due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
The show, which was co-produced by ESPN and Full Day Productions, was a lot like a music awards show in a couple of respects. Even with a generous three-hour time slot, it ran over by about 10 minutes. And only eight competitive awards were announced on the show. The other 14 competitive awards didn’t rate so much as a mention (but we have them here for you).
Here’s the full list of winners, including special awards and sports humanitarian awards.
Best Athlete, Men’s SportsNikola Jokić, Denver NuggetsAaron Judge, New York YankeesWINNER: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City ChiefsLionel Messi, Argentina
Best Athlete, Women’s SportsWINNER: Mikaela Shiffrin, SkiSophia Smith, Portland ThornsIga Świątek, TennisA’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best Breakthrough AthleteCaitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s BasketballBrock Purdy, San Francisco 49ersWINNER: Angel Reese, LSU Women’s BasketballJulio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
Best Record-Breaking Performance–Novak Djokovic wins his 23rd Grand Slam title, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis.–WINNER: LeBron James surpasses Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA career scoring record.–Mikaela Shiffrin breaks the record for the most World Cup victories with her 87th win.–Max Verstappen wins the Mexican Grand Prix, breaking the record for most wins in a season.
Best Championship Performance–Leon Edwards, UFC – defeats Kamaru Usman by fifth-round KO to win UFC welterweight title, handing Usman his first UFC loss.–Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets – 2023 NBA Finals MVP.–WINNER: Lionel Messi, Argentina – 2022 World Cup Final – scored two goals and scored in the penalty shootout to win Man of the Match. He won the Golden Ball as FIFA’s best player of the tournament.–Rose Zhang, LPGA – defeated Jennifer Kupcho in a two-hole sudden death playoff, becoming the first woman in 72 years to win her first professional start.
Best Comeback Athlete–Jon Jones, UFC – Jones’ first fight in the UFC since 2020. He was last seen in action against Dominick Reyes, where he defended his light-heavyweight championship at UFC 247.–WINNER: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets – Murray missed the entirety of last season due to a torn ACL in his left knee. He suffered the injury on April 12, 2021, and didn’t play in the 18 months since then.–Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun – 2022 WNBA Comeback Player of the Year. Thomas missed all but six games last season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. The eight-year veteran started all 36 of Connecticut’s games in 2022, and was an All-Star earlier this season.–Justin Verlander, Current New York Mets / Houston Astros – 2022 NL Comeback Player of the Year, after being limited to only six innings in 2020 and missing the entire ’21 season due to Tommy John surgery, the Astros’ ace returned this season to go 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA.
Best PlayMichael Block Hole-in-One! GOLFWINNER: Justin Jefferson with the Catch of the Century NFLAlly Lemos with the perfect corner to tie the National Championship game NCAATrinity Thomas Perfect 10 Tying the All-Time NCAA Record NCAA
Best TeamDenver Nuggets, NBAGeorgia Bulldogs, NCAA FootballWINNER: Kansas City Chiefs, NFLLas Vegas Aces, WNBALouisiana State Tigers, NCAA Women’s BasketballOklahoma Sooners, NCAA SoftballVegas Golden Knights, NHL
Best College Athlete, Men’s SportsZach Edey, Purdue Men’s BasketballDuncan McGuire, Creighton SoccerBrennan O’Neill, Duke LacrosseWINNER: Caleb Williams, USC Football
Best College Athlete, Women’s SportsJordy Bahl, Oklahoma SoftballWINNER: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Women’s BasketballIzzy Scane, Northwestern LacrosseTrinity Thomas, Florida Gators Gymnastics
Best Athlete With a DisabilityErica McKee, Sled Hockey TeamWINNER: Zach Miller, SnowboardingAaron Pike, Wheelchair Racing & Cross-Country SkiingSusannah Scaroni, Wheelchair Racing
Best NFL PlayerNick Bosa, San Francisco 49ersJalen Hurts, Philadelphia EaglesJustin Jefferson, Minnesota VikingsWINNER: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Best MLB PlayerPaul Goldschmidt, St. Louis CardinalsAaron Judge, New York YankeesWINNER: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles AngelsJustin Verlander, Houston Astros
Best NHL PlayerJonathan Marchessault, Vegas Golden KnightsWINNER: Connor McDavid, Edmonton OilersDavid Pastrňák, Boston BruinsLinus Ullmark, Boston Bruins
Best NBA PlayerJimmy Butler, Miami HeatJoel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ersWINNER: Nikola Jokić, Denver NuggetsJayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Best WNBA PlayerSkylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix MercuryCandace Parker, Chicago Sky (Current Las Vegas Aces)Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm (Current New York Liberty)WINNER: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best DriverBrittany Force, NHRAKyle Larson, NASCARJosef Newgarden, IndyCarWINNER: Max Verstappen, F1
Best UFC FighterLeon EdwardsWINNER: Jon JonesIslam MakhachevAmanda Nunes
Best BoxerGervonta DavisDevin HaneyWINNER: Claressa ShieldsShakur Stevenson
Best Soccer PlayerAitana Bonmatí, Spain/BarcelonaErling Haaland, Norway/Manchester CityWINNER: Lionel Messi, Argentina/PSGSophia Smith, USWNT/Portland Thorns
Best GolferWyndham ClarkNelly KordaJon RahmWINNER: Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis PlayerCarlos AlcarazWINNER: Novak DjokovicAryna SabalenkaIga Świątek
Special Awards
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Buffalo Bills’ training staff for helping Damar Hamlin recover from a devastating injury
Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team for successfully fighting for pay parity.
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Chicago White Sox pitcher and cancer survivorLiam Hendriks for battling back from a diagnosis of Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Sports Humanitarian Awards
Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award:Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks) & Lauren Holiday (retired U.S. Women’s National Team)
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award: Jordan Adeyemi, Ashley Badis, Rishan Patel
Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year: San Antonio Spurs
Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award Honoree: Dr. Richard Lapchick
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Saturday (July 8) will finally see Alex Volkanovski go up against Yair Rodriguez during the UFC 290 featherweight championship. This event will also feature co-headliners Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja who will face off for the flyweight title.
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These matches along with preliminary fights will happen in-person at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That means unless you’ve scored tickets and hopped on some travel deals, you’ll need to tune into ESPN+ to catch all the action.
On Friday (July 7), UFC took to Twitter to post the official fighter odds featuring a graphic of the contenders and the predicted outcome for each match.
If you can’t make it to Las Vegas this time around, take advantage of streaming options and catch all the excitement from the comfort of your sofa. Other fights you can look forward to viewing include Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis (middleweight), Jalin Turner vs. Dan Hooker (lightweight), Bo Nickal vs. Val Woodburn (middleweight), Robbie Lawler vs. Niko Price (welterweight), Jack Della Maddalena vs. Josiah Harrell (welterweight), Yazmin Jauregui vs. Denis Gnomes and more.
Early preliminary matches will begin at 8 p.m. ET all leading up to the championship matchup of Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez at 10 p.m.
Keep reading to learn how to watch UFC 290 below.
How to Watch Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez
UFC 290 is available to watch exclusively through pay-per-view on ESPN+.
You can get an ESPN+ subscription for $9.99/month, or save over 15% with an ESPN+ Annual Plan at $99.99/year. You can also bundle ESPN+ with Disney+ and Hulu for $13.99/month here.
ESPN+ $9.99/month
You won’t just have access to the UFC 290 fight through an ESPN+ membership. You’ll also be able to watch live games in other sports, NFL drafts, NFL playoffs, MLB games and exclusive on-demand videos, as well as access content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider. In addition to games, ESPN+ has original shows to stream on-demand, including game recaps, NBA finals and analyses hosted by Peyton Manning, a shorter version of NFL Primetime, as well as full replays of historic NFL games and limited series such as Man in the Arena: Tom Brady and Derek Jeter’s documentary series The Captain.
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Source: Justin Casterline / Getty / Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith had plenty to say about the mass layoffs at his employer ESPN last week on his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show.
Sports fans were following the massive layoffs that saw ESPN lay off about 20 on-air personalities on Twitter, like following Adrian Wojnarawski’s timeline during the beginning of NBA free agency.
On the latest episode of his show, the Disney-owned sports network’s workhorse, Stephen A. Smith spoke about long-time on-air talents like Jalen Rose, Neil Everett, and more being let go.
He gave a shoutout to Rose, who he worked alongside during NBA Countdown and numerous appearances on his weekly sports debate show, First Take, and former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Per Deadline:
“ESPN laid off about 20 members of its on-air talent … friends of mine, actually, definitely respected colleagues who’d done a phenomenal job and deserved better,” the sports analyst said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “It’s not Disney or ESPN that they deserved better from. They deserved better than the times we’re living in.”
“Got a lot of love for that brother,” he added. “A lot of the great work he’s done over the years, what he’s represented for the company… I’m going to miss him. Jalen Rose has always been good to me, and I loved working with him on NBA Countdown. He is a brilliant basketball mind. He is somebody that worked his ass off all the time. There was never an assignment he backed away from. There was never a time he didn’t want to work.”
Smith also name-dropped former NBA coach and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy saying, “Jeff was an outstanding, brilliant basketball analyst for ESPN for years. I could say I’m gonna miss him, but I just can’t imagine he’s gonna be out of work for long. I’m sure I’ll see him on-air doing his thing. He’s been a Hall of Fame analyst and commentator.”
Stephen A. Smith Says ESPN Is Not Done & He Could Be Next
After talking about his former colleagues, Smith hinted at more possible layoffs coming, even suggesting that he could be next on the chopping block.
“If we’re going to be real about it, let’s deal with reality. This ain’t the end. More is coming,” Smith said. “And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next.”
Interestingly, we do think it’s unlikely that ESPN would let go of one of its most popular personalities, joining his former First Take co-host Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, Matt Hasselbeck, Chris Chelios, Steve Young, Rob Ninkovich, Neil Everett, Ashley Brewer, Joon Lee, LaPhonso Ellis, Todd McShay, and Jason Fitz.
You can watch the entire episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show below.
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