Shannon Sharpe

After getting his feet wet debating Stephen A. Smith during the NFL season, Shannon Sharpe is staying with ESPN for at least a few more months.

The network announced Sharpe has signed a new deal that will keep him as a regular contributor on First Take through the end of the NBA regular season.

The first act for Sharpe after signing a new deal with ESPN was coaching against Smith in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game as part of All-Star Weekend on Friday night. Team Shannon defeated Team Stephen A. thanks to Micah Parsons’ MVP performance.

The Dallas Cowboys star had 37 points and 16 rebounds in a 100-91 victory for Team Shannon.

Sharpe originally joined the show in September where he was a weekly guest on Mondays and Tuesdays during the NFL season. He had been an analyst on FS1’s Undisputed, alongside Skip Bayless, since it debuted in 2016.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer cited “disrespect” from Bayless that dates back to an on-air debate they had about Tom Brady in December 2022 as the reason he left FS1.

Things seem to be going better for Sharpe at ESPN. He’s been a featured analyst on First Take with Smith and Molly Qerim, while also continuing to host the Club Shay Shay podcast.