"I don't know what the hell ESPN was thinking" - Stephen A. Smith is super excited to debut his new sports entertainment show, aims to host influential sports celebrities

Stephen A. Smith is one of the most well-known voices in basketball. The long-time NBA analyst has also been a staple at ESPN. Smith recently revealed that he will be launching a new show, "NBA in Stephen A's World," with the sports programming network.

On "NBA Today," he said:

"I don't know what the hell ESPN was thinking. I really, really don't. You talk about me being unleashed in Stephen A's world, they wanted to replicate me actually watching games. Watching games live whether it's with my friends, family members, some of my boys that I know in the world of sports, pop culture and entertainment. The list goes on and on.

"They already bought my furniture, got me a nice couch, got an ottoman. I got my sister coming in bringing me some lasagna. I got it all. Yes, I'm going to be eating lasagna on national television tonight. You can bet the house on that."

On the guests who may appear on his debut episode, he continued:

"I'm hearing Eli Manning, potentially Peyton Manning. Obviously, there's a couple other people. I'm gonna have my NBA Countdown crew coming in. Again, my sisters coming in. This is just the beginning. There will be numerous shows with numerous guests, but we're gonna feel it out. Jay Pharoah might stop by as well along with a couple of other people."

Smith's long-term partnership with ESPN continues to grow with the addition of another show. "Manningcast" and "KayRod Cast," are some of the other shows where the network has found success. ESPN will hope to emulate that in a different sport with "NBA in Stephen A's World."

Watch Stephen A. Smith discuss his latest ESPN show below:

'NBA in Stephen A's World' is about to be a show 🍿

📺 7:30 PM ET | ESPN2, @ESPNPlus https://t.co/uZ0k1fuUcG

Stephen A. Smith recently discussed Kawhi Leonard missing games

Kawhi Leonard's name has become synonymous with load management over the past few seasons. On "First Take," Stephen A. Smith sounded off on Leonard sitting out games:

"It's very concerning to me. I want to remind everybody of 2017-2018 when he only played nine games for the San Antonio Spurs so he missed 73 games that year. He missed 22 games the year they won the championship on purpose because that was load management.

"He missed 25 his first year in LA with the Clippers. He missed 30 games the year after that then he misses the entire season this past year. Now, he's already missing games. He's only played two games into a four game season. This is utterly ridiculous.

"Something's gotta give, I mean d**n. I can't talk about anybody anymore when it comes to missing games cause Kawhi Leonard is the pro. He is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, and this brother is also a champion at missing games. Nobody does it better."

Leonard's return from injury has been anything but smooth. In both of his appearances, he has come off the bench and averaged just 12.5 points in 21.0 minutes per game.

More concerningly, Leonard is shooting just 44.4% from the field and 16.7% from 3-point range. In his career, the two-time Finals MVP has shot 49.3% from the field and 38.4% from deep.

Watch Stephen A. Smith discuss Kawhi Leonard's load management below:

"Kawhi Leonard is the PRO [at missing games]. He is a two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP and this brother is also a champion at missing games. Nobody does it better!"

😳 @stephenasmith https://t.co/lz8fzrwRE6