"You still got work to do": Stephen A. Smith felt his late brother's disapproval visiting his gravesite, 11 years after his passing

Stephen A. Smith is arguably the most popular sports commentator today. On some occasions, he’s incredibly a bigger star than some of the athletes he brings on his show at ESPN.

Before he carved out a name for himself, his brother Basil was convinced that he would one day become an elite sports analyst. First Take’s host, on the Paul George podcast, opened up about a conversation with his brother that proved prophetic:

“The very last conversation we had before he passed, he said to me, ‘You gonna be a star for ESPN. You gonna be the No. 1 sports commentator in America. You gonna take this damn industry by storm. Mark it down.’

Stephen A. Smith added:

“When he passed away, I made a promise not to go back to see him at his gravesite until I got hired by ESPN. It took me 11 years. But when I got hired by ESPN, I went to his gravesite and I said, ‘I did it’ and I could hear his voice saying to me, ‘Actually, you didn’t. I said you was gonna be the biggest star. I didn’t say you were gonna arrive. You still got work to do.’"

Stephen A. Smith’s star began to truly rise when he became a permanent part of First Take in 2012. Sports fans had more opportunities to listen and see his inimitable way of speaking about topics. No one probably has more charisma and personality than him at ESPN or perhaps any other network.

Smith’s often contentious and sometimes hilarious debates with veteran sports talk show host Skip Bayless were must-watch TV. Their debates, particularly about the Dallas Cowboys, just pushed the show to greater and greater heights.

When Bayless left in 2016, First Take became synonymous with Stephen A. Smith.

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Stephen A. Smith is not going to be the highest-paid sports commentator at ESPN

There are conflicting reports regarding Stephen A. Smith’s salary at ESPN. Some say it’s $12 million per season while others say it’s $8 million annually.

One thing is certain, though, he’s not going to be the highest-paid sports commentator this fall. Former football player Pat McAfee, a rising sports commentator who does his show, will reportedly join ESPN for $17 million.

There were rumors that Smith was pissed off at his company due to this. He addressed those issues with this:

“It’s no secret that even though you don’t know the numbers that I make, even though I’m sure a lot of you think you know, it’s clearly more than I’m making,” Smith said about McAfee’s deal.

“Two things. Number 1: I don’t give a damn. He negotiated his deal a few weeks ago. I negotiated my deal a few years ago. The situation is not the same. I’m a big boy. I’ve been to hell and back. This does not faze me at all. Pat McAfee deserves it."

Smith continued:

“You lookin' for some hatred here, wrong place. I admire what he has done. I respect what he has done, so much so that I’m doing it. It’s people like Pat McAfee I get to thank for that.”

It’s a remark Stephen A. Smith’s brother would have been proud of whether he’s a star sports analyst or not.

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