Stephen A. Smith Absent from First Take Again as Replacement Who Fans Begged ‘Needs to Be Hired’ Takes Center Stage

STEPHEN A. Smith was absent from First Take again today.

On Thursday’s show, Molly Qerim joked that she allowed her co-host, 56, to take a day off.

two

“Just one! Don’t worry, we have a team,” she added.

Substitute Udonis Haslem won over ESPN viewers yesterday, who called for him to be signed full-time.

And the three-time NBA champion received more praise for his performance on today’s show.

“That man Haslem is a gem,” one fan posted on X.

“ESPN cut this man a check!! He’s spitting,” added another.

“I love Haslem,” posted a third.

Haslem got some heat for his pro-Miami comments, with some accusing him of being a “homer.”

The 44-year-old spent 20 years in the NBA with the Miami Heat.

He is the all-time leading rebounder in Heat history and began working as an analyst for ESPN in May.

Stephen A. complained about his grueling schedule at the NBA Finals.

Smith pretended to faint on air during Tuesday’s taping in New York.

He claimed to be “tired as hell” and jokingly put your head on the table as he pointed out, the NBA Draft was also in the diary this month.

Brian Windhorst and Kendrick Perkins joined Qerim and Haslem in the studio on Friday.

Monica McNutt also appeared on Thursday’s show following her headline-grabbing feud with Smith.

The 34-year-old analyst returned to First Take on Tuesday after a week-long absence.

They picked up where they left off with another disagreement.

Stephen A. shared the belief that the Los Angeles Lakers are the best NBA franchise of all time, while McNutt argued that it was the Boston Celtics.

“Ultimately, it comes down to hardware,” McNutt said as Smith looked on.

“To me, if we’re just going to drop the titles, which I’m fine with, if we’re just going to go with the titles, it would look like Boston is at the top of the hill right now.”

Stephen A. and McNutt clashed on-air over Caitlin Clark and the WNBA earlier this month.