Adam Silver And Nick Saban Helped Welcome Stephen A. Smith Back To ‘First Take’ (On A Boat For Some Reason)

As is usually the case in July and August, the sports calendar has slowed down considerably after the end of the NBA and NHL seasons, with football just now starting to ramp up alongside the MLB and WNBA playoff races. In that time, ESPN has still had to fill the hours, but they’ve been unable to turn to their most reliable innings eater to do so, as Stephen A. Smith has been out after having shoulder surgery after the NBA Draft — he did make an impromptu appearance prior to free agency because he couldn’t resist a chance to discuss the Kevin Durant trade request, but otherwise has stayed off air for six weeks.

That’s as long a time as Smith has ever taken away from the airwaves, as he is notorious for always being on — often calling in from vacation to get takes off when a big story breaks. However, on Monday, Smith made his triumphant return to First Take amid great fanfare, as ESPN celebrated having their star back by putting the show on a boat in New York City for some reason — with Stephen A. apparently raiding Derek Dooley’s old closet for his finest Tennessee orange suit.

While Stephen A., Michael Irvin, and Molly Qerim rode around the Hudson on a boat, ESPN made sure to welcome Smith back with some help from some of the biggest names in sports. From the NBA, ESPN tapped none other than commissioner Adam Silver — who had some questions about the legitimacy of Smith’s “shoulder surgery” — and Warriors owner Joe Lacob to welcome him back to the show.

Silver wasn’t the only one with jokes about Smith’s return from injury, as Nick Saban also recorded a message for Stephen A.’s return and made sure to note that when he had hip surgery, he was back at work the next day, questioning Smith’s commitment to the game.

You can tell how much Stephen A. loved all of this, and also how the folks they had record messages enjoyed getting a chance to poke at the man who is always the one that gets the final word on TV.