However, Stephen A.Smith was noticeably absent from the center of that coverage."It's kinda crazy how two years ago Stephen A was so heavily featured in ESPN Knicks coverage that he had that infamous entrance with Spike Lee.
Now the Knicks are in the Finals and he's basically invisible," sports media reporter Ryan Glasspiegel observed Monday night.Earlier this month, ESPN published a press release outlining its plans for the Knicks-Spurs series.Smith was not mentioned in any role.Pat McAfee makes his entrance during WrestleMania 42 Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026.
(Andrew Timms/WWE)STEPHEN A.SMITH CLAIMS TRUMP HAS 'NO BUSINESS' ATTENDING KNICKS GAME AT MSG: 'IT IS SELFISH AND NARCISSISTIC'Instead, the release centered on Pat McAfee, who hosted a special alternate broadcast on ESPN while the traditional telecast aired on ABC.
There are already discussions about McAfee hosting a similar alt-cast during ESPN's first Super Bowl this season.At the same time, McAfee is reportedly negotiating a new contract with ESPN worth roughly $60 million per year, a 50% increase over his current deal.Such an agreement would put McAfee well ahead of Smith's reported $20 million annual salary.For context, their contracts are structured differently.
ESPN pays McAfee through a production agreement for his daily show in addition to a separate salary for College GameDay.Still, the network's willingness to devote that level of money and promotional real estate to McAfee demonstrates where he stands in the pecking order.This is arguably the first time since 2016 that ESPN has viewed a talent as more valuable than Stephen A.
Smith.Consider what happened after the Knicks eliminated the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.To fill the void of what would have been Game 5, ESPN handed McAfee a primetime special featuring major sports commissioners, including MLB's Rob Manfred, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, UFC president Dana White and NHL commissioner...