Skip Bayless Reflects on His Incredible Chemistry With Stephen a Smith: “He Let Me Go Hard at Him”

Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith are undoubtedly two legends of the sports commentary business. The duo have gone their separate ways from their decade-long sparring sessions on First Take, but their shows always kept the audience glued to the screens. This was especially true when they got into heated debates about certain topics, taking jabs at each other left and right.

So, when recalling those good old days on Pardon My Take, Skip couldn’t help but express his love and admiration for his former co-host, even revealing that he saw a spark in their conversation from day one.

“I got a kick out of him from day one and right away we got into it about some NBA topic… And I knew right away, this had magic to it,” the leading analyst said.

This first conversation apparently took place in 2002 in LA when Skip and Stephen A. were paired on the Jim Rome Show. In that episode, Skip couldn’t help but notice how Stephen A. could tackle a topic while being respectful and even allowing Skip to “go hard at him” during the debate. This won the analyst over instantly.

“We just clicked because he has the greatest Gift of Gab in the history of television. His respect for me was instant. And you have to be able to respect where he let me go hard at him.”

The two eventually began working together in 2012 when Smith joined First Take on a permanent, five-days-per-week basis.

Nevertheless, after Skip and Stephen A. began working with different networks in 2016, the duo parted on bitter terms. Now, they can hardly call each other friends, especially considering how Smith described the situation between them.

Stephen A. sheds light on the rift with Bayless

During his appearance on the “Fully Loaded” podcast, Stephen A. revealed that he hadn’t had a proper conversation with his former colleague in about a year and a half. This came in the aftermath of what Skip believed Stephen A. said about him to JJ Redick.

“We don’t speak much anymore. He got upset over something he thought I said to JJ Redick,” the analyst said.

Following the JJ Redick incident, Skip apparently took to his podcast and vented his frustration about his former colleague for 45 minutes. Stephen A. then jetted off to California and had a “face-to-face” chat with his former colleague about the situation, even sorting things out for good.

However, that didn’t seem to work:

“And then I flew to California and approached him face-to-face, and we resolved that issue… But our relationship admittedly hasn’t been the same since that moment”

This is why there are slim to no chances of seeing the pair share a debate table again. However, one cannot deny that they always gave the audience a good show, whether the topic was about the NFL or the NBA.