Stephen A. Smith is preparing to add HBCU basketball broadcasts to his media imprint

Showcasing historically Black colleges and universities on the hardwood has become a must for several broadcasters, from BET to HBCU GO. The ESPN broadcaster has yet to reveal where exactly HBCU games under his umbrella will be shown.

Stephen A. Smith is currently generating headlines after the National Association of Black Journalists awarded him with their Thumbs Down award at the 2026 convention in Atlanta. Following his lengthy rebuttal to the organization on his YouTube channel, Smith revealed something big he’s been working on: broadcasting HBCU basketball games this fall.

“Got something coming down the pike, by the way,” Smith said near the end of his 45-minute response to NABJ and its leadership. “I’m about to ink a deal where we’re broadcasting HBCU basketball games. I’m gonna need some Black folks working for me. As talent and producers and beyond.”

The renewed investment in HBCU sports comes as several network leaders, including Byron Allen’s HBCU Go and BET’s Louis Carr, have voiced their commitment to broadcasting games from historically Black colleges and universities. Carr told TheGrio last month that getting back into sports, namely HBCU football and basketball, was a clear priority for BET. Allen’s HBCU Go announced its 13-week football schedule earlier this summer, including homecoming events, historic rivalry matchups and more.

In recent months, Smith has teased more content from his Straight Shooter Media imprint, the one he launched to coincide with a YouTube channel dedicated to his show revolving around the world of politics. Venturing into HBCU sports coverage wouldn’t be new for the longtime broadcaster. In fact, his journalism career started shortly after a knee injury ended his college basketball career at Winston-Salem State University.

How Smith tackles broadcasting sports on his own platform remains to be seen. He’s previously announced projects that have been greenlit with Amazon and ABC. Whatever he does next, it is clear the 58-year-old broadcaster isn’t slowing down anytime soon.