"Earning more than MJ in his prime": Stephen A. Smith's $20 million contract rumor has NBA Twitter shellshocked

Prominent sports media personality Stephen A. Smith is set to become a free agent soon. Though currently signed with ESPN, his contract is about to expire. According to several sources, he is the highest-paid talent in the company with an annual salary of $12 million. It appears that his status of being the highest-paid entity might remain as reports suggest that Smith will likely sign a $20 million contract with whichever company he decides to sign with next:

Fans on social media were left flabbergasted by his potential upcoming contract, expressing their thoughts online. Here's what some of them had to say on X, formerly Twitter:

"No way he’s earning more than MJ in his prime"

"he getting paid more than some nba players 💀 "

"Bros getting paid more than most NBA players to talk about NBA players"

"Good on him & all that, but what a joke."

"They talking about blud like he’s in the league 💀💀💀 dat boi Stephen A really a GOAT LMAO"

"Bro getting that SUPER Max…"

"Honestly a media personality free agency coverage like NFL and NBA FA would be absolutely electric"

"Stephen A “free agency” I wonder if Woj will break where he signs"

---

Stephen A. Smith soon hitting free agency

SiriusXM's "Town Hall" With Clyde Drexler, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins And Stephen A. Smith

After years of making a name for himself with ESPN, Stephen A. Smith could finally say goodbye to the company. According to several reports, Smtih is hitting free agency and could be in search of a new home. His departure from ESPN could be the biggest free agency to hit the world of sports media.

The sports media world has seen how successful one-man operations can be; with Pat McAfee and Joe Rogan, for example, have been known to charge tens of millions of dollars to companies simply to host their shows.

Smith has expressed his desire to be the highest-paid employee at ESPN in an honest discussion about his impending free agency. He pointed out that he's been on top of the sports media mountain for 12 years. Not only has he been number one every year, but Smith also flexed that he's been the best of them all every month of every day.

With all that in mind, it'll be interesting to see which companies pursue Stephen A. Smith. Unless ESPN decides to match or exceed his contract expectations, Smith will likely work with a new company once his contract expires.