Despite the criticism of Stephen A. Smith, he is worth the money ESPN is paying him.

Anybody who follows the NBA knows Stephen A. Smith.

The larger than life basketball personality is the Anchor of First Take on ESPN and his own radio show called The Stephen A. Smith Show. Stephen A is also frequently featured as a guest on other ESPN programs.

ESPN is on the verge of signing Stephen A. Smith to a contract extension worth an estimated $10 millions a year, making him the highest paid figure in sports media. Currently, Smith’s contract with ESPN is estimated to be around $5 million per year.

Mike Greenberg is currently ESPN’s highest-paid anchor and cashes in at roughly $6.5 million per year. However, many sources indicate that Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser earn similar salaries to Greenberg.

As a loyal fan of EPSN, I find that Stephen A. has more authenticity than these anchors, especially when it comes to basketball coverage.

To Stephen A., his success is an inspiration.

“For the JAY-Zs, Lebrons, Shaqs, and others I do not consider them the American Dream. I consider me the American Dream. They’re the American Fantasy, you got one in a billion shot if not more to be them, but you can be Stephen A.”

However, his payday has left many sports fans wondering whether or not he deserves such a huge payday.

As a sports fan, one thing I lament about is that most analyst and sports writers do not know well the sport they are covering. Most of their commentary serves as entertainment, not an intellectual discussion through the lens of sports or even an in-depth analysis of a game.

Stephen A. Smith, though, knows basketball; expect when it comes to all topics named Lebron James.

Stephen A. has been more critical of Lebron James than arguably any other sports media figure in history and religiously points out Lebron’s shortcomings as a basketball player. He often cites Lebron’s inability to perform at the end of games as the main reason he is not the GOAT over MJ. And, On First Take, Stephen A. never fails to mock Lebron’s sensitivity to the media by highlighting Lebron’s greatness with a breaking news banner when he is critical of Lebron.

Lebron is a great father, great husband, generous philanthropist. Lebron James Family Foundation and “I Promise” initiative foster positive change.

Stephen A. uses this as a disclaimer whenever he is critical of Lebron James.

Lebron aside, First Take sets itself apart from other shows by pushing the player’s narratives in the media. Stephen A. Smith’s relationships with athletes have been a cornerstone of his success as a broadcaster. He often presents his personal conversations with athletes to give the player’s perspective on something. Moreover, Stephen A.’s insider information and sources in the NBA often serve as his way of informing his opinion. No other ESPN anchor has Stephen A.’s connection within the NBA.

Stephen A. Smith’s unique style as a commentator makes him appealing for basketball fans to watch.

He is not hesitant to go at players and make controversial statements about some of the world’s best athletes when they fail to perform in big moments. Few sports media figures, except for maybe Skip Bayless, are willing to do this publicly.

This has definitely played into Stephen A.’s appeal to viewers over more reserved ESPN hosts like Mike Greenberg. However, Greeny has his loyal followers as well.

Stephen A. also takes advantage of social media to promote First Take and his brand, and he has done this more successful than other ESPN anchors. The ESPN personality has over 4 million followers on Twitter and roughly a million Facebook followers. More so than any other anchor. This has helped increased his popularity and led to Stephen A. Smith having a loyal group of followers who watch First Take.

Hosting First Take has undoubtedly raised Stephen A.’s profile and led to his recognition as a basketball personality. Stephen A. has been associated with First Take for almost 8 years now and helped to build the show to where it is today.

And to some extent, First Take‘s popularity is owed to Skip Bayles who helped initially popularize the show and mentored Stephen A. Smith. Stephen A. worked as a co-host with Skip and undoubtedly learned from the anchor’s wiliness to be a critic of Lebron James. A style that has largely been the basis for the success of First Take.

However, it would remiss to say that the success of First Take is just due to Stephen A. Smith’s larger than life basketball personality. First Take has benefitted immensely from the contributions of its cohosts Max Kellerman and Molly Qerim.

Max Kellerman took over as an Anchor of First Take from Skip Bayless after Skip got his own show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed on Fox Sports 1. Max Kellerman prior to First Take co-hosted the sports show Around the Horn and is known to be one of the best-known boxing commentators in the country.

On First Take, Max Kellerman has been outstanding in his role and brings out the best in Stephen A. Smith. Max is not afraid to challenge Stephen A. when he is talking nonsense and leaves Stephen A. speechless on topics. Stephen A. has taken Max’s basketball card thousands of times for his outrageous opinions.

Also, Molly has been great at moderator and often is the only rational person on First Take.

To ESPN, Stephen A. is definitely worth retaining. However, if Stephen A. is deserving of his payday, then Max Kellerman and Molly Qerim are worthy of a similar payday as well.