Smith, Stephen a.: - Stephen A. Smith rose from a reporter on high school sports at the Daily News (New York) and college and NBA beat reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer to become the face of ESPN and its most important on-air personality. He is the star of the #1 morning sports talk show First Take; a premiere analyst on ESPN and ABC's NBA Countdown; the host of NBA in Stephen A's World on ESPN2 and ESPN+; and the host and producer of the podcast K[no]w Mercy with Stephen A. Smith. Smith has more than 12 million followers across social media platforms, and his opinions on sports make daily headlines. Follow him on Twitter @StephenASmith.