Stephen A. Smith Claims Presidential Run Is “Inevitable” as He Shifts Focus From Sports To Politics

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is torching his bridges in the sports world as he fuels his bid for president in 2028.

The 57-year-old went on ABC News’ This Week to declare his presidential run “inevitable” because he’s being begged to do it.

“I have no choice,” he proclaims. “I’ve had folks that got a lot of money, billionaires and others that have talked to me about exploratory committees and things of that nature.”

That was just the latest in a series of political talk-show ventures he touts the enormity of his importance to the country on outlets like The View, Fox News, NewsNation and Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast. He has also hosted Pennsylvania’s Gov. Josh Shapiro on his own podcast.

“These are the kind of shows Stephen would never be found on just a year ago,” an insider tells GLOBE. “But he’s in full-blown campaign mode already. This whole thing started as a way to pump up his image, but now Stephen has bought into his own self-generated hype and actually sees himself sitting in the Oval Office.”

Meanwhile, Smith’s scorched-earth sportscasting style has netted him a whopping five-year, $100 million contract at ESPN, along with some all-star adversaries. He has publicly feuded with sport’s biggest star, LeBron James, and also gotten into arguments with NBA greats Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, as well as football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens — to the detriment of his own network.

“It’s a constant s***show,” gripes one ESPN staffer, who claims Smith’s damage to the network’s credibility has made it more difficult to attract talent. “He seems to enjoy it, but nobody else does. All this clashing and feuding makes us look ridiculous.”

Another ESPN staffer says, “I’ve been getting messages from agents and players saying that they don’t want to appear on the show, or even share information with us anymore, because of Stephen A.”

But Smith — who has six million Twitter followers and another five million on Instagram — apparently seems completely unfazed.

“He doesn’t care, because he no longer sees his future being in sports,” says the insider. “It’s in politics.

“Stephen is fixated on building a base to support his presidential ambitions through social media and by appearing on talk shows. Leaving ESPN holding the bag is his last concern.”