Media juggernaut ESPN fired 20 on-air personalities in the recent round of layoffs by the company. Jeff Van Gundy, Jalen Rose, and Max Kellerman were the most notable names, among others.
Veteran NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith was, of course not affected by ESPN’s firing spree. Smith is a huge revenue generator for the company. A huge reason behind it is Smith’s habit of always speaking his mind. The 55-year-old addressed the firing of his friends, but left out the name of Max Kellerman.
“ESPN laid off about 20 members of its on-air talent,” Smith said on his podcast. “Friends of mine actually, definitely respected colleagues who’d done a phenomenal job and deserved better. They deserved better from then the times we’re living in. To see Jalen Rose gone, my brother. Got a lot of love for that brother, a lot of the great work he’s done over the years, what he’s represented for the company. He is a brilliant basketball mind. He’s somebody that worked his a** off all the time.”
Smith continued: “Jeff Van Gundy is another outstanding, brilliant basketball analyst for ESPN for years. I could say I’m going to miss him, but I just can’t imagine he’s going to be out of work for long. I’m sure I’ll see him on the air doing his thing. Jeff Van Gundy has been a Hall of Fame analyst and commentator. Neil Everett from SportsCenter, Ashley Brewer from SportsCenter. My brother, Keyshawn Johnson. We’ve been friends for over 20 years. I’m sad to see him go.”
I will miss the colleagues of mine who were let go this week dearly pic.twitter.com/lNbuDjRG8s
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 4, 2023
The most interesting part about Stephen A. Smith’s unfiltered rant was leaving Max Kellerman out of it. Smith and Kellerman were co-hosts of ESPN’s First Take for five years before parting ways in 2021.
Smith even played a role in getting Kellerman off the show due to chemistry issues. Max Kellerman worked alongside Jay Williams and Keyshawn Johnson on ESPN’s national morning radio show. However, the radio show was canceled, ultimately playing a role in Kellerman’s sacking.
Stephen A. Smith Didn’t Have A Relationship With Max Kellerman
Stephen A. Smith has been one of the top sports journalists for more than a decade. He is bound to lock horns with a few in his career.
After playing a role in Kellerman’s departure from First Take, Smith once shared his views on his relationship with his former co-host. Smith gave a stoic answer and claimed the two didn’t communicate.
Now, Kellerman is hunting for a job while Smith remains one of the biggest names at ESPN. With Smith not even addressing Kellerman’s departure, fans will most likely never see the pair again on-air together.
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