Stephen A. Smith is turning a public insult into business momentum, announcing a new HBCU basketball deal just days after the National Association of Black Journalists handed him one of the harshest public rebukes of his career. The ESPN commentator dropped the news during a lengthy on-camera response to NABJ, using the moment to pivot from defense straight into a business declaration.
Video
“Got something coming down the pike, by the way,” Smith said near the end of his rebuttal. “I’m about to ink a deal where we’re broadcasting HBCU basketball games. I’m going to need some Black folks working for me as talent, as producers, and beyond. That’s what I’m doing!”The announcement arrives less than a week after NABJ presented Smith with its 2026 Thumbs Down Award at the organization’s Salute to Excellence Gala in Atlanta. NABJ cited Smith for what it called a recurring public pattern of disparaging commentary directed at prominent Black women across politics, sports, and media. The organization added that the pattern reinforces harmful narratives, undermines the fair and respectful representation of Black women in public discourse, and stands in direct conflict with NABJ’s longstanding commitment to accurate, responsible, and inclusive portrayals of Black communities.
Smith wasn’t the only name on the list. NABJ also handed Thumbs Down honors to CBS News, The Washington Post, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, and Circle City Broadcasting owner DuJuan McCoy, marking the most recipients in the award’s history.
Smith didn’t take the honor quietly. Smith wrote on X that the moment was the epitome of Christmas arriving early, warning the organization that it had its turn and now his was coming.
Now that turn has produced an HBCU basketball deal that could reshape how these games reach viewers. Smith has not named the schools, conferences, or platform involved in the arrangement, but the timing signals a broader shift in who controls HBCU sports media. The project is expected to run through Straight Shooter Media, the production company Smith built alongside his politically focused YouTube channel.
The move places Smith alongside other Black media figures already investing in HBCU athletics. Byron Allen’s HBCU Go currently distributes HBCU basketball throughout the season, with select games also appearing on ESPN Plus and ESPN’s broadcast networks. BET has signaled its own expanded push into the space as well. BET CEO Louis Carr told TheGrio the network has already partnered with Ice Cube’s Big3 league for Monday broadcasts and plans to make HBCU basketball a fall priority. It remains unclear whether Smith’s new HBCU basketball deal will connect to those existing plans or operate as a fully separate venture.
For Smith, the announcement fits a relationship with HBCUs that predates his ESPN fame. He played basketball at Winston-Salem State University under legendary coach Clarence Big House Gaines before an injury pushed him toward journalism instead. Smith has served as an ambassador for HBCU Week since 2019 and has used his platform on “First Take” to spotlight HBCU campuses through a designated tour, giving this new venture a personal throughline rather than an opportunistic one.
That history is part of why Smith framed the timing of his HBCU basketball deal the way he did. Rather than treating the NABJ backlash as something to simply absorb, he used it as a launching point to promise new employment opportunities for Black professionals in sports media. Smith said the project will require producers, on-air talent, and additional staff, positioning the venture as job creation rather than just added content.
What it means for HBCU athletics is significant. A commentator with Smith’s national platform entering the space adds another major distributor to a growing field of Black-owned and Black-led HBCU sports broadcasting, at a moment when conferences are actively courting bigger media partners. It also raises the stakes for how these deals get structured, since Smith’s reach could pull in a broader audience than existing HBCU-leaning platforms currently draw.
The controversy with NABJ has not fully settled either. The organization is standing by its decision despite the backlash it has received, while confirming that a representative for Smith reached out to NABJ President Errin Haines to begin what the organization described as a private conversation focused on listening and accountability.
Whether that conversation leads anywhere remains to be seen. What is confirmed is that Smith’s HBCU basketball deal is moving forward, adding fresh weight to a sports media landscape where HBCU programs are finally getting fought over instead of overlooked.
