Stephen A Smith has built his reputation on being blunt, but few know how close he came to fading out of the industry altogether. His career, now one of the most recognizable in sports media, was almost cut short more than a decade ago, during a period when being let go by ESPN often meant the end of the line. There’s one chapter he calls “the most improbable part” of his journey, a moment when his future hung in the balance. He shared exactly how he clawed back from that edge, and why his return wasn’t just unlikely; it was nearly unheard of in that era of sports broadcasting.

In 2009, ESPN decided to move on from Stephen A. “ Usually when ESPN let you go, it’s d–th row ,” Smith revealed in a candid conversation on The LeBatard Show . “Particularly if you’re a black man in this in

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