Every sports program has that one elusive guest they simply can’t find a way to book. Every show has one. Producers exhaust every avenue to make it happen, often with no success. Hosts even work their own sources to get messages through to the guest in an attempt to sway favor in their direction. However, when miraculous moments happen in sports, miraculous things can happen. Which leads me to ask: Will Stephen A. Smith appear this week on The Pat McAfee Show?
In case you missed it over the weekend, the New York Knicks are NBA champions. For the first time since 1973, the city of New York has united around its legacy basketball team. Crowds erupted, buses burned, and Stephen A. Smith showcased himself as ESPN’s chief cheerleader for it all.
Everyone loves a good story about overcoming hurdles. Let’s face it, Stephen A. Smith has been the face of New York Knicks fandom on ESPN for many years. He has shown his anger when they struggled and his joy as they celebrated their crowning victory.
A couple of weeks ago, he even went so far as to take credit for the team’s run to the NBA Finals. Why? Because he took his team to task on national television, which was followed by an 11-game winning streak on the way to the NBA Finals.
No More Perfect Time
Now, the Knicks are champions. Smith opened First Take on Monday with everything but the champagne goggles to begin the week. Never mind the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup, UFC Freedom 250, or anything else from the night before. It was all about the Knicks, and Stephen A. Smith was ready to make ESPN his personal stage for celebration.
No show on ESPN celebrates sports more than The Pat McAfee Show. It’s often been dubbed a safe haven for sports fans. There are no hard-hitting debates or complicated analysis. It’s simply sports being fun and entertaining. Boys playing games. Pomp and circumstance. Baseball, bets, and beers, all in the name of giving sports the attention they deserve.
It’s time for The Pat McAfee Show’s celebration of sports to welcome the face of the New York Knicks on ESPN for an interview. For the first time since December 2023, it’s time for Stephen A. Smith to make an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
Yes, you read that right. 2023. It’s been nearly three years since the two biggest faces of ESPN shared a screen together. But has there ever been a better time for a reunion than now?
A New Day
Obviously, a lot has changed since that last appearance in 2023, which happened to be McAfee’s first year on ESPN programming. Smith signed a massive $100 million extension in the spring of last year. The First Take host has also taken on a new role with SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio, where he hosts a daily show from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Smith has also scaled back some of his ESPN responsibilities over the past year, reaching an agreement to step away from NBA Countdown.
In McAfee’s case, he’s added work to his ESPN portfolio as well. Outside of his daily show, he continues to be a major presence on College GameDay and also hosts alternate broadcasts surrounding ESPN’s biggest sporting events. Not to mention the work he has continued to do with WWE over the past two and a half years.
McAfee is reportedly in discussions with the network on an extension that could pay him between $60 million and $65 million. The deal would keep McAfee aligned with ESPN while reportedly adding NFL responsibilities to his plate.
Despite rumors of a rift between the two megastars, both continue to insist they are on good terms. McAfee’s program hosted LeBron James for an hour last year, and the future Hall of Famer used part of that appearance to take shots at Smith over his criticism of Bronny James. That interview led to further escalation between Smith and James, a dispute that still appears unresolved today.
But why hasn’t Stephen A. Smith made an appearance during the height of the Knicks’ championship run? And will he make one before the celebration concludes this weekend with a parade through ‘The Big Apple?’
Sure, logistics could be a concern. Smith’s SiriusXM program begins an hour after First Take ends. However, McAfee has conducted plenty of interviews with ESPN talent while they were traveling. How many times have Adam Schefter, Peter Schrager, or other ESPN personalities joined the show from the road while still making time to talk football?
If there was ever a moment to make it happen, this is it.
Bring Together The Megapowers
The New York Knicks have finally climbed the mountain. Stephen A. Smith is enjoying one of the greatest weeks of his professional and personal life as the most visible Knicks fan in sports media. Meanwhile, McAfee’s show has built its identity around celebrating the biggest moments in sports with the same passion fans bring to them.
An appearance by Smith on The Pat McAfee Show wouldn’t just produce compelling television. It would immediately put to rest any lingering speculation that ESPN’s two biggest personalities have a strained relationship. For the past couple of years, rumors have circulated whenever they haven’t shared a screen. One conversation, one celebration, and one championship victory lap would be enough to remind everyone that the relationship is far healthier than outsiders often suggest.
ESPN has spent years building around star power, and no two stars shine brighter than McAfee and Smith. With New York celebrating its first NBA title in more than five decades, the timing couldn’t be better.
The biggest Knicks fan in sports media and one of ESPN’s premier entertainers coming together to celebrate a historic championship feels less like a booking opportunity and more like a television moment waiting to happen.
Some guests are impossible to get. Some moments are impossible to create. But when sports delivers something this rare, sometimes the guest and the moment arrive at exactly the same time.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
