When Stephen A. Smith was diagnosed with COVID-19, he suffered serious medical complications including liver damage and pneumonia in both lungs that sent him to the hospital. Smith has outlined his experience with the disease in the past and stated that he would not be here had he not been vaccinated.
Amid a battle that almost took his life, Smith was waking up with migraine headaches and torn rotator cuffs in both shoulders. Once he discovered his A1C was just shy of being considered diabetic, he made a commitment to improving his health despite his busy schedule. Smith described his regimen during a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show.
Smith explained that over the last year to 14 months, he has seen key improvements across several areas of his health. Through a routine that includes weightlifting, cardio, boxing, Pilates and eliminating certain foods from his diet, he is trying to stay in good shape. Despite working on First Take and NBA Countdown for ESPN while also hosting his own podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, and managing Mr. SAS Productions, his own production company. Rome, who was among the first people to put Smith on television as a writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, wanted to know what kept him going.
“As it pertains to my rocket fuel, I got to tell you I’m passionate about what I do,” Smith said. “I love what I do, I love the responsibility and the onus that comes with it.”
Recollecting on the time he appeared on Rome’s programs such as The Last Word and Rome is Burning, Smith remembers receiving mentoring and advice from Rome himself. Despite a busy schedule, he agreed to appear on Rome’s program because of his reverence for him, stating that he would be available when Rome called. Smith considers Rome to be a pioneer in the sports media business and is grateful to his mentorship in being able to bring himself to the next level. With his internal drive and improving health, he seems to be thoroughly enjoying his workload and does not see himself forsaking sports talk entirely despite commentating on an assortment of subjects.
“I’m not melancholy or sad over the state of affairs that exist in sports compared to what exists in the real world with politics and things of that nature, but I love being able to talk about it all,” Smith said. “I love being able to talk about social issues; I love being able to talk about politics, pop culture and entertainment.”
Smith mentioned Rome’s versatility to discuss a variety of topics on the air and how he has aspired to be able to do that throughout his career. Yet he still wants to utilize sports in his endeavors and elucidated that he would not run for public office unless it was for the U.S. presidency. Smith is currently under a contract at ESPN that is reportedly set to expire in 2025, and he has stated on several occasions that he deserves a raise in pay.
“I love sports – sports will always be at the forefront, and I’ll never let that go if I can help it, but I never want to be limited by it anymore either,” Smith said. “I’m of the mindset, ‘I want to do more than sports,’ and anybody that wants to limit me to just sports is not going to be somebody I want to work for.”
Rome conveyed that it seems as if Smith is ubiquitous in that he is on the air more often than not, and he was curious to know how he is able to maintain his active schedule. Throughout the NBA Playoffs, Smith has traveled across the country to various studios and arenas for his work at ESPN all while continuing his external media ventures. Part of the reason he has thrived in this regard has been because of the renewed obligation to engaging in a healthier lifestyle.
“I’m getting myself in shape, and I’m not satisfied,” Smith said, “and because I feel better than I’ve felt in 30 years, I feel like once upon a time when I thought that I had about a couple of years left, man, I think I can do this for another 25-30 years the way that I’m feeling.”
