Marc Stein is one of the most prominent NBA reporters in sports journalism. He has been with ESPN seemingly since the dawn of the sport, or at least the dawn of the company. Between his reporting of breaking news and his weekly power rankings segment, as well as his stated love for Manchester City soccer, people in the industry and fans of the industry know his name and his work. Hopefully his credibility in league circles will travel with him, as he joined the lengthy list of company layoffs on Friday.
Add another name to the list
While the brunt of the devastating layoffs to take place at ESPN came to light on Wednesday, Stein didn't get the news about his until Friday.
He took to Twitter around 5:45 PM ET to announce that he was out at the company. He also reminded people that the sporting world stops for nobody, including himself, while giving his thanks to his friends and colleagues.
Informed I'm among ESPN's layoffs. But basketball, as they say, never stops. To readers/viewers/listeners/countless colleagues ... grateful
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) April 28, 2017
Reaction was swift and solemn. Reporters from across the landscape replied to the tweet, saying how sorry they were about his job loss, but optimistic that it wouldn't take him long to land on his feet. Former ESPN colleagues commented on how important he has been to both the sport and the institution that he is now leaving.
Then again, they may not have been able to muster up much more to say to Stein after a week that decimated the company's Bristol, Connecticut headquarters.
An institution at ESPN
After serving as a beat reporter for the Dallas Mavericks at a local paper and working for other newspapers, Stein was hired by ESPN in 2000 and joined the team full-time in 2002.
He became a regular on nearly every basketball show the network had to offer, from "NBA Shootaround" to "NBA Coast to Coast." He also did some soccer work on the side, allowing him to work on both of the sports he felt passionate about.
His most prominent feature was his weekly power rankings column for ESPN, in which he referred to himself as the "Committee of One." The "Committee of One" had only signed a multi-year extension with the company back at the beginning of the NBA season.
He did, however, find himself embroiled in some controversy when his credentials to cover the Dallas Mavericks were temporarily rescinded by a vindictive Mark Cuban, lashing out at the company more than the reporter. That likely didn't lead to Stein being fired - instead, it was just a numbers game, which his trusted ace at ESPN Stats and Info couldn't warn him about soon enough.
