“ESPN today officially announced its new-look NBA Countdown team that will lead pregame and halftime coverage for select NBA on ESPN game nights throughout the season,” Ronce Rajan of ESPN wrote. “The new team will debut this Wednesday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN App.”

Stephen A. Smith said Tuesday he asked to come off ESPN’s “NBA Countdown,” pushing back on headlines suggesting he was yanked from the show after the network unveiled a revamped cast Monday.