Report: Stephen A. Smith to Make Nearly $8M Annually on New 5-Year ESPN Contract

ESPN sportscaster Stephen A. Smith, best known for his role on First Take, will earn close to an $8 million annual salary as part of a new five-year contract, per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

Smith will also spend time hosting SportsCenter and providing NBA coverage, per Marchand, and he may find a home on ESPN's subscription service ESPN+ as well. Smith hosts Wednesday's SportsCenter heading into the network's weekly NBA coverage on that day.

The ESPN personality hosts a national radio show but will give up those duties next year as part of his new deal, per Marchand.

Smith, 52, started working for ESPN in 2005 when he began hosting a daily show called Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith.

The network cancelled the show in 2007, but Smith still worked for ESPN in a variety of roles over the next couple of years, including as a guest host for numerous shows and as an anchor for the Sunday morning SportsCenter.

Smith and ESPN parted ways in 2009, but the ex-Philadelphia Inquirer NBA columnist rejoined the network and began co-hosting First Take in an infamous partnership with Skip Bayless in 2012. He's been with ESPN since.

Smith grew up in Queens and went to college at Winston-Salem, where he played for the basketball team and wrote for the student newspaper.

No one can argue his hustle and determination to help his family, as evidenced by a story he told about helping his mother earn an early retirement following a previous deal with ESPN:

Per Marchand, Smith is under contract with ESPN until 2025. As for who replaces him on the radio, Marchand mentioned Max Kellerman and Mina Kimes as possibilities.