Bob Ley hopes Stephen A. Smith becomes ESPN’s first $20 million man

Stephen A. Smith wants to be ESPN’s highest-paid talent, and Bob Ley wants to see that happen. The legendary ESPN personality, who officially retired from the Worldwide Leader in 2019 after nearly 40 years with the network, wants Smith to become the network’s first $20 million man.

Ley joined the latest episode of Jimmy Traina’s Sports Illustrated Media Podcast and addressed ESPN’s seemingly lenient approach to Smith’s commentary on his own podcast medium. But he also touched on why he think Smith deserves to be the highest-paid talent at the network.

“I think that’s ‘Jordan Rules,’ right?” Ley said. “And he’s earned the right. The speculation is, will he be the first $20 million man? God, I hope he is. God bless him; he’s earned everything he has. I remember when Stephen A. was like North Korea back in the early 90s; he was in and out of favor. He had the talk show, then he wasn’t with us, then he rejoined us.

“He and Skip (Bayless) would come on Sunday morning SportsCenters and do this thing called ‘Old School, New School,’ that I would kind of referee. And I’d see Stephen and we’d have him on the show, and this was before he was becoming Stephen A. Smith in the national mindset.

“I remember telling him, I said, ‘Boy, every time I turn the TV on, I see you. That is great, but the most important word that you can have in your vocabulary sometimes is that two-letter word: no,’ just, so you’re appreciated a little bit more and not taken for granted.

“But his work ethic is supreme. He’s a good guy. I consider him a friend; I think he’d does the same. He’s been generous to our program at Seton Hall. If I needed him, I could get him within a reasonable amount of time.”

Interestingly, Ley mentions Smith’s openness to taking on many projects and his tendency to say yes to everything, which comes amid criticism that he’s spread too thin. Smith himself admitted reaching a breaking point last year. Ley’s comments seem to echo earlier advice he gave to Smith about being more selective, potentially foreshadowing what came to a head in 2023.

Despite this, Ley acknowledges Smith’s importance as ESPN’s leading personality. However, he did express discomfort with Smith’s recent vulgar comments towards Jason Whitlock, attributing it to a larger societal trend.

“And the rules are what the rules are for Stephen,” said Ley.

Even with their stylistic differences, Ley’s public support underscores his respect for Smith’s talent and potentially paves the way for his record-breaking contract.

[SI Media Podcast]