STEPHEN A. Smith is receiving high praise from one of the sport’s biggest executives.
First Take featured Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin on the show on Friday and he loved some of the things Stephen A. had to say.
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Stephen A. tried to pitch an idea about a special Bronny James shirt to Rubin during the show.
Bronny was drafted No. 55 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, and Stephen A. wants to see a matching jersey.
“I’m getting my creative juices flowing here, Michael,” Stephen A. said.
“It is possible that we will see one of these [basketball jerseys] with Bronny and LeBron in it?
“You have to stand out.”
Ryan Clark sat next to Stephen A. at the First Take table and commented on how the shirt could look.
“Are you trying to divide?” Clark said.
Rubin really loved the idea and gave props to Stephen A. for presenting it.
“You have great potential to be creative director at Fanatics here,” Rubin said.
Rubin shared that Fanatics is working on all kinds of Bronny merchandise for Lakers fans to enjoy.
“No doubt we will have different variations, everything you can imagine will be there,” Rubin said.
“Actually, it’s a great idea. You know what, the fans are going to love this.
“You have to enjoy it and celebrate the moment, so 100 percent.”
Clark was not happy with how much Rubin was inflating Stephen A’s ego and told him to calm down.
First look at the numbers
First Take has grown from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim over the past year.
ESPN’s weekday debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 — making it the most-watched year in the show’s history.
Its December average of 611,000 represented a 24% annual increase compared to 2022.
The show has also recorded more than 250 million views on YouTube.
First Take was helped by the addition of Shannon Sharpe alongside Smith and Qerim after he left Fox Sports’ Undisputed.
“Rubin, you don’t have to praise Stephen A. just because we’re on First Take,” Clark said.
Bronny is expected to have an extremely sold jersey due to his relationship with LeBron James.
Despite being taken with one of the last picks in the draft, Bronny was still the most anticipated prospect in the class.
Your trading cards and other memorabilia will be highly sought after.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
