Three of the most divisive personalities in all of sports media will be on the same studio team this year.
ESPN has officially announced that Stuart Scott, Bill Walton and Stephen A. Smith will make up the KIA NBA Shootaround studio team for the entire regular season and 2008 NBA Playoffs. For ABC games, Michael Wilbon will replace Smith.
Scott, Walton and Smith will debut on Halloween night, prior to the first ESPN NBA doubleheader of the season.
Teaming Stuart Scott with Bill Walton and Stephen A. Smith is a strange move that almost seems to delve into self-parody on the part of ESPN. Scott has been widely criticized for his catchphrase-heavy delivery on SportsCenter, while Walton has been mocked since his days at NBC for his tendency to exaggerate. Smith may be the most disliked of the trio, as his abrasive, caustic style may be more suited to Hardball than a sports television show.
Having arguably the three most criticized personalities at ESPN appear on the same show makes it seem like the network is thumbing its nose at its critics — or worse, purposely trying to put together the most unbearable studio team of all-time.
In other ESPN NBA news, Mike Breen will team with Jeff van Gundy on ESPN’s lead NBA broadcast team (with Mark Jackson joining the duo for games on ABC). Other broadcast teams include Mike Tirico/Dan Shulman with Hubie Brown and Dave Pasch/Mark Jones with Walton and/or Jon Barry. Additionally, Jalen Rose and Rick Carlislie will work in various capacities for ESPN this year.
Related: “A nightmare studio team on Halloween night?“
