FEEL THE HEAT
Stephen A. Smith absent from First Take as ESPN viewers praise his replacement and say ‘he needs to be hired full time’
A three-time NBA champion took Stephen A.'s usual chair on Thursday
UDONIS Haslem has won over ESPN viewers after sitting in for Stephen A. Smith on First Take.
The veteran sportscaster was unexpectedly absent from Thursday's edition of the sports debate show.
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Stephen A. has complained in recent days about his grueling schedule over the NBA Finals.
The 56-year-old appears daily on First Take and has fronted ABC's NBA Countdown throughout the postseason.
Smith pretended to collapse live on air during Tuesday's recording in New York.
He claimed to be "tired as hell" and jokingly put his head on the table after remembering the NBA Draft was still to come later this month.
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"No Stephen A. today, I let him take the day off," Molly said to open Thursday's show.
"Just one! Don't you worry, we're crewed up."
Stephen A. was replaced by three-time NBA champion Haslem as the panel discussed the fallout of the Boston Celtics 18th title.
Haslem, 44, spent 20 years in the NBA with the Miami Heat.
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He is the team's all-time leading rebounder and made his studio bow as an ESPN analyst in May.
"So happy to see #MonicaMcNutt & #UdonisHaslem on #FirstTake," wrote one viewer on X.
'You're not being fair' yells Stephen A. Smith as First Take host jabs finger at colleague in 'hypocritical' rant
"Udonis Haslem is great TV. ESPN has to hire him full time," said another.
"Udonis Haslem seems like a super cool a** dude!" laughed a third.
Monica McNutt also joined Thursday's show following her much-publicized feud with Smith.
The 34-year-old analyst returned to First Take on Tuesday following a week-long absence.
Stephen A. and the former college basketball star clashed on air over Caitlin Clark and the WNBA earlier this month.
First Take viewing figures
First Take went from strength to strength under the guidance of Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim last year.
The weekday ESPN debate show averaged 496,000 viewers in 2023 - making it the most-watched year in program history.
Its December average of 611,000 was a 24% year-on-year increase compared to 2022.
The show also reported 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.
Smith claimed he needed to "watch every syllable" when talking about the WNBA during a frosty debate on June 3.
"Welcome to the world of being a woman, Stephen A," McNutt fired back.
"How you have to dance about your word choice and how you have to please everybody and anybody as you navigate your being."
"Who talks more about the WNBA, who talks about women's sports more than First Take?" Stephen A. said.
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"Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to," McNutt retorted.
First Take airs every weekday from 10 am ET on ESPN.
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