Shaquille O’Neal Adds ‘Salt to Wounds’ by Sharing $20,000,000 Worth Stephen A Smith’s Recruitment Pitch to Shannon Sharpe After Skip Bayless Split

Akash Murty | 03/06/2023
Shaquille O'Neal Shares Stephen A Smith Recruiting Shannon Sharpe After Split From Skip Bayless: "Wasn't Surprised"

At the start of this year, we saw the gimmick of Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless’ on-screen beef take a wild turn. Bayless insulted the NFL legend like he was just his junior at work and nothing more. As a result, Sharpe negotiated a buyout from FS1 to leave UNDISPUTED and Fox after the NBA Finals. ESPN’s Stephen A Smith is already recruiting Sharpe, and TNT’s Shaquille O’Neal added salt to the wounds by sharing that story on his Instagram.

Smith and Bayless worked together at ESPN for more than 5 years on First Take. While we all know First Take to be Stephen A’s show, the case wasn’t always so. In 2012, Skip told his bosses at ESPN to get Smith on First Take. There was no turning back from there. Now the face of ESPN, Smith has amassed a net worth of $20,000,000. He hasn’t forgotten what the 71-year-old has done for him but remembers how it is to work with Skip after 7 years of separation. That is why he “wasn’t surprised” by what Sharpe is going through, and wants the Hall of Fame tight end in his show.

Shaquille O’Neal shares a story of Stephen A Smith recruiting Shannon Sharpe away from Skip Bayless

It’s not clear whether TNT also has an interest in signing Shannon Sharpe, but Shaq shared the story of Stephen A Smith’s public recruitment pitch to the disgruntled FS1 analyst on his IG story. Even if TNT is not going after Shannon, Shaq might have shared it just to add salt to Skip’s wounds.

Whether Sharpe joins Smith or not, it’ll remain a big talking point until he does join a network. And we know he’ll be a big fish in the market for all the sports networks. At the same time, another mystery would be who replaces him on FS1’s UNDISPUTED as Skip Bayless’ co-host.

Charles Barkley mocked Skip Bayless after Fox bought Sharpe out

Shaq’s studio partner on Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley, after the game between the Nuggets and Heat on Thursday, mocked Bayless live on NBA TV.

He didn’t say his or Sharpe’s name, obviously, but the hysterical analogy by him was clearly a not-so-subtle dig at his former First Take sparring partner.

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
shannon sharpe Shaquille O'Neal Skip Bayless Stephen A Smith

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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