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STEPHEN A. Smith and Skip Bayless have an unbreakable bond thanks to their successful partnership on First Take.
And there is now a chance that the former sparring partners could form a shock reunion with Stephen A. and Bayless poised to become free agents.
Stephen A. Smith is currently locked in contract talks with ESPN[/caption]
Skip Bayless is poised to leave FS1 show Undisputed this summer[/caption]
The former First Take sparring partners could be set for a shock reunion[/caption]
Stephen A. is locked in contract negotiations with ESPN in his desire to become the sports network’s highest-paid star.
He is looking for a deal worth around $25 million a year, per Puck.news.
Meanwhile, Bayless will leave his role at FS1 debate show Undisputed later this summer after an eight-year run.
There will be a mad scramble by TV networks to secure the services of both broadcasters thanks to their huge personalities and ability to draw ratings and media coverage.
And with the duo both potentially free agents next year, they could be reunited for a new project together.
Stephen A. and Skip were formerly sparring partners on First Take for four memorable years before Bayless left ESPN for Fox in 2016.
And the duo formed a strong relationship, which remains to this day.
“Stephen A. Smith is even more of a brother to me than my real brother,” Bayless told the New York Post.
“I love the man, as you know, on and off the air.
“Since I left First Take for Undisputed back in June of 2016, Stephen A. and I have remained in close touch.”
In 2021, the New York Post reported that ESPN made a serious push for a Stephen A.-Bayless reunion.
The duo were tipped to do a daily ESPN+ show together, while having a widespread presence on ESPN, including weekly spots on the Monday Night Football halftime show.
The talks collapsed and Bayless stayed at Fox with a four-year, $32 million contract extension.
Bayless confirmed the report on his podcast.
“I just believe in contracts. Contracts are contracts. I have a contract,” he said on The Skip Bayless Show in July 2022.
“A couple of years back, Stephen A. wanted me to return, to reunite with him at ESPN.
“ESPN made an offer, in my contract was a matching clause and Fox matched and I’m still here.
“And I go to work with all my heart and soul every day.”
Stephen A. and Skip almost reunited for ESPN in 2021[/caption]
Stephen A. has since played down the prospect of teaming up with Bayless again[/caption]
He added: “I love working with Shannon Sharpe. It was different with Stephen A.
“I was open to returning [to ESPN], if [Fox Sports] didn’t match, but I’m here and I give you every last ounce to earn the money that they pay me. It’s called a contract.”
Stephen A., for his part, has previously played down the prospect of reuniting with Bayless again.
“I don’t believe so,” he said during an appearance on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
“I love Skip. I’m incredibly grateful to him, but I don’t think that will ever happen. I think we’re just going in separate directions.
“I have aspirations outside the world of sports. If he interviews me for his podcast or I do it for my podcast, that would be different.
“But on screen together, working together on-screen in a debate format? That’s not something that I think is going to happen.”
A reunion would depend on either Bayless making a shock return to ESPN or the duo partnering again on a new network or platform.
Stephen A. Smith's journey through media
STEPHEN A. Smith is now the face of ESPN and an executive producer on First Take having initially started working for the company back in 2003.
Smith has held various roles with the network, including hosting radio shows, SportsCenter contributions, and appearing on NBA Countdown.
He was a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1994 to 2010.
His began as an NBA writer before becoming a general sports columnist.
Before that, Smith worked as a reporter with Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News, and the New York Daily News.
A key factor appears to be Stephen A’s desire to move outside of sports and into the worlds of entertainment and politics.
“I think both of us have moved beyond that and I don’t see that happening,” Stephen A. added.
“I don’t think he’ll be back at ESPN. If I’m doing sports, I’ll probably be here, and if I’m doing more than sports — which I definitely plan on doing — that’s not his lane.
“Skip cares about sports all day, every day, and very little else. So I don’t see that happening.”
Some fans have tipped Stephen A. for a surprise mega-money switch to Fox.
However, should the First Take star fail to secure a new contract with ESPN, it might make sense for him to reunite with Bayless in some capacity.
Many sports fans are keen on the idea.
“Am I the only one rooting for a Skip Bayless and Stephen A Smith reunion?” one fan said on X.
“A Stephen A/Skip reunion would be funny though. Would it happen, idk,” another said.
“Will we ever see a Skip and Stephen A reunion show?? That was unbelievable and riveting television!!” a third noted.
