shannon sharpe on espn
Stephen A. Smith recruited Shannon Sharpe to ESPN First Take after Sharpe’s rift with Skip Bayless grew for all to see. That turned out to be a great decision.

Sharpe — who left his co-host seat on FS1’s “Undisputed” last summer and joined ESPN’s “First Take” in September 2023 — will now be around for a little bit longer.

ESPN revealed on Friday that the network has signed Sharpe to a new contract extension.


His new deal will see him remain on First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim through the rest of the NBA season as a regular.

“Being a part of this family has been a blessing and everything about this relationship with ESPN, Stephen A. and First Take has been tremendous,” Sharpe said.

“I look forward to bringing my best as we continue to go head-to-head across different sports.”

2023 was First Take’s most successful year to date. Anchored by Smith and Molly Qerim along with their rotating cast of guests, the show averaged almost 500,000 viewers per episode.

Things only seemed to get better later in the year, with Sharpe debuting in early September. Over 700,000 people were tuning in to Sharpe’s first week on the show

December 2023 was the show’s second most-watched month on record. Men lie, women lie, numbers do not lie. ESPN and First Take ultimately came out a winner and FS1 is likely kicking themselves for losing a talent like Sharpe.

REPORT: Shocking New Details Reveal Michael Jordan’s Hidden Power Move With NBC Sports

New details reveal Michael Jordan’s exact role with NBC Sports, offering fresh insight into his growing influence off the courtMichael Jordan (Photo by Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
NBC dropped a huge announcement when they roped in the services of Michael Jordan. With the league returning to the network next season, NBC is said to have some big plans with the Chicago Bulls legend. While it is clear that he will be a part of the overall coverage, the media outlet has remained tight-lipped about the same. Till now, it was only known that Jordan will be acting as a ‘special contributor’ for NBC. But now, there might be some shocking details emerging.

Speaking on the topic, Alex Sherman of ‘CNBC’ provided some insight into the matter. He pointed out that the preliminary plans for Jordan are to appear in taped segments. This way, Jordan will be providing analysis on the games. These tapes are expected to be aired either at halftime or at the end of each game.

Sherman also pointed out that NBC will also keep the opportunity for Jordan’s role to evolve in the future. Extending the topic further, ‘CNBC’ also reported that the deal with Jordan was orchestrated by none other than his longtime friend, Jon Miller. Meanwhile, after landing such a huge deal, it is quite expected that Michael Jordan will be elated.

Michael Jordan Gets Candid About His Feelings After The NBC Deals

Sep 1, 2024; Darlington, South Carolina, USA; NASCAR Cup Series Team 23XI owner Michael Jordan watches a video board as NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) races during the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
After the announcements were made, Jordan looked quite happy to have landed himself a big role. Afterall, considering the legend he is, Jordan’s valuable insights will be a great addition to the league’s coverage. Shedding light on the matter, Jordan stated how he was utterly excited to be working with NBC.

“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC,” Jordan said in a short clip. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”

Thus, with things looking quite upbeat for Jordan, it now remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.