Stephen A. Smith is a “different animal” when it comes to his acting career.
That’s something the ESPN personality heard many times over the years from his colleagues, and it has served as fuel for his goal of making it to primetime television, Smith said in an interview with The Post on Monday.
Smith, who’s known for his loud, theatrical personality as a sports analyst across multiple shows at ESPN, will have a guest star role on “Law & Order,” airing Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
“I’ve always been told and all my colleagues always say, ‘When the lights come on, he’s a different animal. He’s ready,’” Smith, 57, said. “So, I take pride in that. And the lights come on, it’s showtime and it’s time to step up and produce, and that’s what I pride myself on being able to do.”
Stephen A. Smith as Ted Hunter and Dushaun Thompson as Jackson Dean on the “Law & Order” episode, “Tough Love” on May 8, 2025. Virginia Sherwood/NBC
It might be difficult to grasp another version of Smith, who became a household name by being himself in front of the camera.
In the episode entitled “Tough Love,” Smith plays Ted Hunter, an outspoken sports agent who is stabbed to death, leaving a trail of suspects who wanted him gone.
“It was crazy to say the least,” Smith said of playing the character. “I mean, from the standpoint of knowing who [sports agents] are and how they can be as professionals, I get that because I’ve been in sports journalism for over 30 years, so in that regard, that’s fine.
“But it’s still a challenge when you have to go in front of the cameras on a set and act the role and step out of character and be something that you’re not.”
The most fascinating part of all is that Smith has never taken a single acting class or sought any type of formal training.
Smith explained that he was approached by Pam Wechsler, a writer for “Law & Order,” about a guest star role on the show — just as he was for his role on “General Hospital,” which is ABC’s longest-running soap opera.
“We were both in LA, said she was a fan and that many of her colleagues were fans and they wanted to know if I would be interested in appearing on ‘Law & Order,’” Smith recalled of his conversation with Wechsler. “And I said, ‘The ‘Law & Order’? Are you kidding me? Prime time? Are you kidding me? Absolutely!’ So, I jumped at it and that’s how it happened. I was ecstatic.”
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on the air before a Knicks-Lakers game at Madison Square Garden on February 3, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Smith made his acting debut on “General Hospital,” with a short cameo appearance as a television reporter on Feb. 2, 2007.
Later in 2007, he was in the Chris Rock motion picture, “I Think I Love My Wife.”
Smith returned to “General Hospital” in April 2016 as Brick, a surveillance expert for the Mob, and has continued to make regular appearances on the soap opera since then — and most recently April 28.
This is just the beginning for Smith’s acting career, and he said he won’t stop until he lands more roles on primetime television and in movies.
However, giving up his job with ESPN to become a full-time actor is where he draws the line.
“It would have to be the right opportunity, of course,” Smith said of future acting roles. “I mean, I have a day job that pays me pretty well, so I don’t really need the work.”
“If I’m gonna do it, it has to be the kind of [role] that I want,” Smith said. “I want to be in the movies. I want to be on primetime television. I want to be on epic shows like ‘Law & Order,’ I want to work with great actors and great directors and stuff like that. It’s certainly something that I aspire to do. There’s no doubt about that.”
Stephen A. Smith before Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on June 12, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. Getty Images
“If the right opportunity presents itself, of course I’d be willing to do it and sacrifice the time necessary in order to do it well because I’m not interested in doing anything half-ass. That would basically be my approach, but it’s not going to be something that’s going to compel me to give up my day job — that I’m not going to do.
“I wouldn’t do that to become a full-time actor. That’s not what I would do, not after what I’ve been blessed to accomplish and I’m on throughout my career over the last 30 years. I’ll continue doing this for as long as I can.”
Smith credited “General Hospital” star Maurice Bernard, who’s played Sonny Corinthos on the soap since 1993, along with producer Frank Valentini, for taking him under their wing in Hollywood.
He also attributed longtime “General Hospital” stars, Laura Wright, who plays Carly Corinthos, and Steve Burton, who plays Jason Morgan, for “teaching me about the profession.”
“I remember when Maurice Bernard told me one time [on set], ‘This is who I need you to be at this moment.’ And when I went and taped the scene for ‘Law & Order,’ I was like, ‘This is who I need to be in this moment right here. This is what it calls for,’” Smith said. “And I knew it instinctually because of the things that they taught me over the years, and I’m incredibly grateful to them, and they’re all my friends and we communicate all the time.”
Wisconsin went into Texas and punched its ticket to the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball Final Four on Sunday night.
The Badgers avenged an earlier loss to the Longhorns, who swept them on Aug. 31, to advance to the Final Four for the third time since 2020. Wisconsin (24-4) is a No. 3 seed and the lowest ranked team to make to the semifinals at No. 10 in the country.
Mimi Colyer led the Badgers with 23 kills and five digs. Una Vajagic added 15 kills and Carter Booth 11. The Badgers will play Kentucky (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the national semifinals on Thursday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
“I just love this team; we fought so hard for each other,” Colyer said. “It’s so much fun to come into an environment like this and pull it off.”
USA TODAY Sports had live coverage of the match. Here’s everything you need to know to know about the action.
SCORE: Wisconsin 3, Texas 1
Set 4 final: Wisconsin 25, Texas 19
The Badgers advance to the Final Four for the third time since 2020. Wisconsin (24-4) is a No. 3 seed and the lowest ranked team to make to the semifinals at No. 10 in the country.
Texas, a one seed, was ranked No. 3 in the nation and sees its season end.
Set 4: Wisconsin first to 15
Can the Badgers close this out and punch their ticket to the Final Four? They have been to Final Four six times and won their lone national title in 2021.
Wisconsin is hitting .318 in the fourth set.
Set 3 final: Texas 25, Wisconsin 19
Cari Spears now leads Texas with nine kills. The Longhorns are using a balanced attack and hit .400 in the third set to get back in the match.
Set 3: Texas first to 15
Torrey Stafford and Cari Spears have eight kills each as the Longhorns are fighting back. Texas is hitting .429 in the third set.
Set 2 final: Wisconsin 25, Texas 21
The Badgers hitting percentage is .315 compared to .246 by the Longhorns. Mimi Colyer got her 10th kill to seal the set. Charlie Fuerbringer has 32 assists in leading the Wisconsin offense.
Set 2: Wisconsin first 15
Wisconsin is enjoying a balanced offensive attack. Mimi Colyer has nine kills, Carter Booth seven and Grace Egan and Una Vajagic six apiece.
Set 1 final: Wisconsin 25, Texas 22
The Badgers went on a 7-0 run before the Longhorns fought back with a 5-0 run on their own. It wasn’t enough as Wisconsin prevailed led by six kills from Mimi Colyer.
Matthew McConaughey cheering for the Longhorn women
We are underway in Austin
The Badgers and Longhorns are set to faceoff for a Final Four bid.
What time is Wisconsin vs. Texas volleyball?
The Texas Longhorns play host to the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball Elite Eight on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT) at the Gregory Gym in Austin, Texas.
Florida setter Alexis Stucky announced her commitment to Penn State women’s volleyball out of the transfer portal Sunday night. Stucky posted on Instagram her intentions to transfer to Happy Valley.
As a redshirt junior this past season, Stucky totaled 1,062 assists and 10.31 assists per set, which was top 30 in the nation. She was selected to the All-SEC Second Team.
Stucky will join Penn State outside hitter Kennedy Martin, who spent two years with Stucky at Florida. In her first year as a Nittany Lion, Martin was second in the NCAA with 5.42 kills per set.
Following the departure of star setter Izzy Starck, the Nittany Lions finished the 2025 season with a 19-13 record and went 12-8 in the Big Ten.
Incoming freshman setter Danielle Whitmire, a top-five recruit in the 2026 recruiting class, will also join the Nittany Lions.
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Michael Siroty is a junior from Westfield, New Jersey, majoring in broadcast journalism. When he isn’t writing articles or making TikToks for Onward State, Siroty is probably somewhere talking about college sports. You can contact him to discuss your sushi order or music taste on Instagram and X @msiroty or by email at [email protected].
As the fall semester comes to a close, I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season. We had a very busy and productive fall, beginning with Evie Bliss making it to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where on September 19 she threw the Javelin 58.88 (193-1.25) to finish 10th in her preliminary flight and 19th overall among a field of 36 of the best javelin throwers in the world. Evie was the youngest competitor in the field and the first-ever Bucknell Track and Field athlete to compete in a World Championship. What a fantastic year for Evie. It was great that we were able to send Coach Ryan Protzman to Tokyo to coach her in the meet, thanks to the Spiked Shoe Club and its fundraising efforts.
The cross country season came to a close a couple of weeks ago, and our women’s team capped it off by finishing second (48 pts) at the Patriot League Championships – the program’s best finish since 2019. The only team to best the Bison that day was a very good Army (21 pts) squad led by head coach and Bucknell grad Michael Smith ’88. We had four ladies earn All-Patriot League status, led by sophomore Shealan McNally, who was the runner-up in the race. Junior Kailey Granger (6th), sophomore Katie Moncavage (10th), and senior Caryn Rippey (13th) were the other three to earn all-league honors. We were well ahead of Navy (3rd, 99 points), Boston U (4th, 120 points), and Lehigh (5th, 136 points) – the other schools among the top-five in the 10-school field. Two weeks later, we competed at Lehigh in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships and finished 7th out of 30 schools. I was very pleased with that finish, which was our highest place since we were 6th in 2016.
Our men’s team had some health issues late in the season, but nevertheless improved one spot from the 6th-place showing in 2024 with a 5th-place finish (135 points) this season. Our goal was to finish in the top three, and we were only 19 points behind 3rd-place American University (116 points) and 4th-place Boston University (117 points). Navy won the meet with 28 points, followed by Army at 58 points. Senior Henry Didden led us with a 10th-place finish, followed by sophomore Ethan Pratt-Perez, who was 14th – both runners earned All-Patriot League honors. It was the second consecutive year that Ethan made the all-league team. Two weeks later, the Bison finished 12th of 29 teams with 334 points at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. Our goal was to be in the top 10, and we were only 29 points away from 10th place (U-Penn, 305 points). Pratt-Perez was our top finisher (39th, 30:52 for 10K), followed closely by Didden ( 43rd, 30:56).
We began our indoor track and field season on December 5-6 with our Annual Bison Opener, and I felt it was one of the best openers we have ever had, setting us up for what I hope is a very successful indoor season. We had 11 schools on campus for the meet, including Penn State. The men had five individual victories, and a total of eight men made our all-time top-10 list. The women had four individual winners and six new additions on the all-time top-10 list, including a school and fieldhouse record in the 300 meters by sophomore Alex Lea.
Men’s Event Winners:
Lucas Williams Pole Vault 16-4.75 #8 all-time
CJ Simbiri Triple Jump 48-10.75 #5 all-time
Nick Bouril 300 meters 34.57 #2 all-time
Cooper Hollinger 3000 meters 8:41.31
Alex Goonewardene Mile 4:28.28
Men’s Additional All-Time Top-10 Entries:
Luke Petryna 60 meters 4th place 6.91 #8 all-time
Preston Lubeski 300 meters 3rd place 35.40 #8 all-time
Ethan Knight 60 M Hurdles 3rd place 8.30 #7 all-time
Eamon Golden 60 M Hurdles 4th place 8.37 #10 all-time
Henry Didden 5000 meters (at Boston University) 14:05.94 #2 all-time
Women’s Event Winners:
Anna Carruthers 800 meters 2:16.34
Alex Lea 300 meters 39.29 school and fieldhouse record
Here is our Indoor Track and Field Schedule. We would love to see you at any of our meets, at home or on the road, if we are in your area.
Sat., Jan. 17 Penn State Challenge State College, Pa.
Sat., Jan. 24 Gulden Invitational Home
Fri-Sat, Jan. 30-31 Bucknell Invitational & Multi Home
Fri-Sat, Jan. 30-31 Penn State National Open State College, Pa.
Fri-Sat, Feb. 6-7 UPenn Invitational Philadelphia, Pa
Fri., Feb. 20 Bucknell Tune-up Home
Sat-Sun, Feb. 28-Mar. 1 Patriot League Championships Boston University
Last year, we had some really great support for our program through donations made to the Spiked Shoe Club, and we need to have an even better year in 2025-26 if we want to accomplish some of our goals. The Patriot League Outdoor Championships were pushed back to mid-May this spring, resulting in a longer outdoor season in general. I’d like to travel a little more than in past years, including bringing more athletes to the Penn Relays than usual, along with trips to William & Mary and the IC4A-ECAC Meet at Rutgers.
In addition, we expect to have quite a few athletes making postseason meets such as the NCAA East Prelims in Kentucky, and potentially the USATF Nationals and U20 Nationals. Your gifts to the program will go a long way, and we hope to once again break program fundraising records for the number of donors and the amount raised.
I hope you will mark your calendars now for March 25-26, the 2026 One Herd One Day giving challenge. Our program has consistently been one of the top in the department on this important day, and your continued support will help determine the type of student-athlete experience we are able to provide to all the young men and women in our program.
I cannot wait for 2026. Have a great Holiday Season.
Kevin Donner
Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach
Bucknell University
kdonner@bucknell.edu
Past Newsletters:
Bison Club support is the driving force behind Bucknell Athletics. Your donations directly impact the holistic development of student-athletes from 27 Division I varsity programs who are building a foundation at Bucknell to become leaders and difference-makers around the globe. Make your gift online, or call 570-577-1771 to support your favorite Bison team today.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Lincoln men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams combined to win three events Friday at the Indiana Early Bird.
Lincoln swept the titles in the 60-meter hurdles. Brandon Harris won for the men in 7.98 seconds and Aaliyannah Anderson took first place for the women in 8.48 seconds.
Malik Drummond was also a winner for the Lincoln men in the triple jump, posting a distance of 48 feet, 6¼ inches.
In total, the Blue Tigers had 22 top-five finishes during the meet.
On the men’s side, Tajai Duffus placed second in the 200-meter dash in 21.84 seconds, followed by Keano Charles in fourth place in 21.91 seconds. Rondino Dean followed Harris in the 60 hurdles with a fifth-place time of 8.25 seconds.
Finishing third for the Lincoln men were Franklyn Tayloe in the 800-meter run (1:54.98) and Dejone Raymond in the high jump (6-8). Melon Lowenfield was fourth in the long jump (22-9), Donovon Bruce was fourth in the 400-meter dash (48.84 seconds) and Dimitri Beckford placed fifth in the 60-meter dash (6.88 seconds).
On the women’s side, Quana Walker placed second in the 200 in 24.59 seconds, followed by Anderson in third in 24.93 seconds. Walker finished second in the 400 in 56.92 seconds.
Also on the track, Maria Diamond was fifth in the 800 in 2:21.22 and Hannah Fatade placed fifth in the mile run in 5:25.89.
In field events, Brittania Ingram was second in the triple jump (37-1) and fourth in the long jump (17-7).
Lincoln had a pair of top-five finishers in the women’s pentathlon. Calah McDonald finished fourth with 2950 points and Kimesha Francis was fifth with 2943. McDonald won the shot put with a throw of 32-6¼ and Francis was second in the long jump with a leap of 17-2¾.
In the 4×400-meter relay, the Lincoln men — Harris, Bruce, Tayloe and Charles — placed third in 3:15.55, while the women — Odeshia Nanton, Walker, Diamond and Anderson — took fifth in 3:53.73.
Lincoln returns to the track Jan. 17 for the Show Me Showdown at the University of Missouri.
LINCOLN – The No. 3 seed Texas A&M volleyball team handed the No. 1 overall seed Nebraska Cornhuskers their first home loss since November 26, 2022, to claim victory in Sunday afternoon’s NCAA Regional Final at the Bob Devaney Sports Center, 3-2 (25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 35-37, 15-13).
The Aggies (27-4) won an instant classic over Nebraska (33-1) to punch their ticket to the Final Four. The teams split the opening four frames setting up a winner-take-all finale, and it was the Maroon & White who reigned victorious behind a complete team victory which included 75 kills, 17 blocks and nine aces.
Nebraska came out of the gate on the front foot, as head coach Jamie Morrison called his first timeout of the match trailing 9-3. The Aggies found their footing, cutting into the deficit to 12-9 behind a stretch at the service line from Tatum Thomas. The Cornhuskers won the race to 15 (15-10), but Texas A&M answered right back with a 7-0 run forcing Nebraska to burn both of its timeouts. The onslaught continued, as Cos-Okpalla recorded two aces paired with a Cornhusker error, stretching the lead to 20-15. Nebraska battled back within one as coach Morrison huddled up his squad up 21-20. The Maroon & White would not be denied, as once again the service line was the difference, with an ace from Maddie Waak sealing the opener, 25-22.
Carrying the momentum into the second, the Aggies forged an early 5-2 lead. Nebraska responded with a streak of its own inch ahead 10-9. Waak once again got the ball rolling, spearheading a 4-0 run from the service line which included two aces, a kill from Kyndal Stowers and a solo block from Cos-Okpalla as the Maroon & White went ahead 14-11. The train kept rolling, as the gap extended by one as the Cornhuskers huddled up for the time in the frame down 19-15. Nebraska mounted a late comeback in the frame, trimming the deficit to 24-22, but a timeout from coach Morrison was what the team needed Lednicky landed the final blow of the set with the Aggies prevailing 25-22 for a two-set advantage.
The Cornhuskers strung together a streak early in the third building a 10-5 advantage, but a response came once again as the Maroon & White ripped off four-straight to shrink the gap to one. The programs began trading points down the stretch and it was Nebraska who grabbed the frame, 25-20, and cut into the match lead, 2-1.
Back-and-forth scoring opened fourth, as the teams were knotted on five occasions through the first 14 points including 7-7. Texas A&M was the team to create some breathing room, again thanks to Thomas leading three-straight from the service line as Nebraska huddled up down 10-7. The Aggies would not be waver, extending the gap to 15-10 as the Cornhuskers called their final timeout. Nebraska grabbed one back, as Coach Morrison collected his squad with a break (18-14). The set went the well in extras and it was Nebraska narrowly took the frame, 37-35, and sent the match to a fifth set.
In the deciding final frame, it was the Aggies who captured the early momentum leading 8-6 as the programs swapped ends. Texas A&M kept rolling with a 4-1 streak, forcing the Cornhuskers to burn both timeouts trailing 12-8. Nebraska persisted, as the Maroon & White called a break with the advantage down to 13-11. The Aggies found themselves one point from victory and it was Lednicky who dealt the game-winning blow (15-13) ensuring their spot in the Final Four.
Following the conclusion of the Regional, the Aggies claimed four of the seven All-Tournament Team selections, headlined by Lednicky who was named the Regional Most Outstanding Player, while Waak, stowers and Ava Underwood were also named to the team.
Logan Lednicky recorded her 21st consecutive game with 10 or more kills and climbed to No. 3 in career kills passing Hollann Hans (1,640).
Ifenna Cos-Okpalla climbed to No. 2 on the program’s career block list passing Cindy Lothspeich (552).
The Aggies secured their first Final Four berth in program history.
The victory over Nebraska marks the programs second win versus a No. 1 ranked opponent and first in 30 years.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & White head to Kansas City for the NCAA Tournament Final Four where they will face No. 1 seed Pittsburgh, Thursday, Dec. 18 with timing details to be announced at a later date.
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
