Stephen A. Smith
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| Born: | October 14, 1967 (age 39) Bronx, New York |
|---|---|
| Occupation: | Sports journalist, television host, radio host |
Stephen Anthony Smith (born October 14, 1967), usually referred to as Stephen A., is a sportswriter and media personality from Hollis, Queens in New York City.
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[edit] Early life
Born in The Bronx, Smith would move to Queens with his family a few years after his birth. He graduated from Edison High School in Jamaica in 1986. Smith first attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and then Winston-Salem State University, the latter on a basketball scholarship. At Winston-Salem State, Smith played under legendary head coach Clarence Gaines. In addition he was a teammate of current University of Delaware head coach Monte Ross. Smith interned for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution immediately after graduation.
[edit] Career
[edit] Print media
Since 1994, Smith has had a position as a writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He was initially a general sportswriter for the Inquirer before he gained positions as their reporter for the Philadelphia 76ers, as their NBA columnist, and eventually, as a general sports columnist. Prior to his job with the Inquirer, Smith has had positions with the Winston-Salem Journal, the Greensboro News and Record and the New York Daily News.
[edit] Radio
On April 11, 2005, Smith became the host of a weekday noon to 2 p.m. radio show on WEPN in New York City with his "right hand man B.T. (Brandon Tierney)". He currently hosts the radio show with Mike Missanelli and update anchor Gordon Damer. A regular caller of the show is "Malav in the Car," who is known for his passionate opinions.
[edit] Television
In August 2005, he began hosting a daily hour-long show on ESPN2 called Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith. Initially airing weeknights at 6:30 PM, it was moved in January 2006 to 11 p.m., with encore airings most days at 2 p.m. Quite Frankly had received a .1 household rating prior to its change in time, and by January 2007, ESPN announced that the show would be canceled. Smith had complained about the support his show has received from ESPN - a complaint that ESPN's ombudsman George Solomon has characterized as "whiny."[1]
In addition to Quite Frankly, Smith has served as a NBA analyst for ESPN since October. He has also been a judge on the failed ESPN reality series Dream Job, and was a frequent guest (and guest host) on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption and 1st and 10. His harsh and loud tone expressed during debates has earned him the nickname "Screamin' A. Smith" by several of his colleagues.
Smith publicly criticized the Toronto Raptors' 7th overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft, "The pick makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, when you think how they traded away Vince Carter, virtually for nothing, again we sit here today, wondering, what on EARTH is Rob Babcock doing!" Charlie Villanueva finished second in Rookie of the Year voting at the end of the season. However, Villanueva was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks that off-season.
Beginning in March 2007, Smith began to appear on the 10:30 Sunday SportsCenter as an anchor. It is unknown if he will become a full-time anchor on the show.
[edit] Personal
Smith is a life-long New York Yankees fan. Smith was born in The Bronx, so when the family moved to Queens, Smith was not allowed to watch or listen to any Mets game.
He takes nearly every opportunity to visit South Beach, Miami, his favorite city to visit. He has participated in Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning's charity concert/extravaganza Zo's Summer Groove.
Appeared on an episode of General Hospital as a reporter on February 2, 2007. [2]
He appears in the Chris Rock movie "I Think I Love My Wife" as Richard Cooper's (Chris Rock) dinner buddy.
[edit] External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Smith, Stephen A. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smith, Stephen Anthony |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Sports journalist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 14, 1967 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bronx, New York, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
