Credit: The Stephen A. Smith ShowInside the NBA joining ESPN meant less Stephen A. Smith on the network’s basketball coverage, and that’s exactly what he wanted. But before letting O’Neal go, Smith made sure to praise his ESPN colleague for the job he, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson did on Inside the NBA last season. And while Smith enjoyed seeing Inside the NBA move to ESPN, he really appreciated that it reduced the network’s need for his services at night. Would they force Inside the NBA to showcase Stephen A. Smith? When Smith’s new contract with ESPN was announced in March 2025, it was reported that he would take a step back from Countdown and the network’s NBA game coverage.