Shelley Smith Bio | Wiki

Shelley Smith is an American journalist and sports correspondent currently working for ESPN SportsCenter as a reporter. She joined ESPN in the year 1997. Besides being a journalist, Shelley is also the author of two books.

Prior to joining ESPN, she worked for Sports Illustrated, Pacific Stars and Stripes, and the Associated Press serving as a writer and reporter. In addition to that, Shelley also worked for The San Francisco Examiner where she obtained a William Randolph Hearst Award for her series on Title IX in the Bay Area in 1986.

Shelley Smith Age

She was born on April 1, 1958, in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States. Shelley is 65 years old.

Shelley Smith Height

She is a woman of average stature. Shelley stands at a height of 5 ft 6 in (Approx 1.68 m).

Shelley Smith Family

She was born to her parents Luanne Smith and Ronald Smith in 1958 in Princeton, New Jersey. Shelly was raised in a typical American family. Her younger sister died in the year 2016 due to organ failure while her mother passed on in August 2018. She shares a strong and close bond with her father.

Shelley Smith Husband

She was once married to Mike Tharp who then served as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Shelly and her ex-husband share a daughter named Dylann Tharp who attended the University of Oregon. However, the couple separated and later finalized the divorce process when their daughter Dylann was 6 years old. She has been living as a single mom raising her daughter and has not shared any information regarding her current love life.

Shelley Smith Education

She attended the University of Nebraska where she graduated in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Political Science.

Shelley Smith ESPN

Shelly is a five-time Emmy Award-winning reporter who currently works for ESPN. She joined the network in January 1997. Not long ago, she obtained the Emmy in long-form feature reporting for a piece she did on Jake Olson, blind USC long snapper whom she along with her producer spent nine years documenting his journey. In addition, Shelley was also a finalist nominated in that category for a feature of a former college basketball star named Schuye LaRue who is now homeless and also suffering from schizophrenia.

She has covered almost every sporting event in existence including the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, college football, and also college basketball. Shelley has also written vastly for ESPN.com and several ESPN in-house entities. In addition, she has written three books titled Just Give Me The Damn Ball with Keyshawn Johnson, an ESPN analyst, You Play to Win The Game with Herm Edwards, a former ESPN analyst, and also Games Girls Play: Lessons to Guiding and Understanding Young Female Athletes.

Before working for Sports Illustrated for one year, Shelley worked for the San Francisco Examiner, the Associated Press, and Pacific Stars & Stripes. While covering the 1988 Olympics, Smith was the first to secure an interview with Ben Johnson, whose gold medal was taken away after his tests for steroids came out positive. Her daughter Dylann Tharp was an All-Pac-12 Conference second-team soccer player at the University of Oregon. She is currently a free-lance producer and also a middle-school coordinator for the San Pedro BVoys & Girls Club. Moreover, Shelly and her daughter collaborated with Keyshawn Johnson to produce a 30-for-30 documentary called “The Trojan War”.

Some of Shelley’s colleagues at ESPN include:

John Buccigross – Sportscaster

Ashley Brewer – Sports Anchor & Host

Katie George – Sports Anchor

Molly Qerim – Host

Samantha Ponder – Sunday NFL Countdown Host

Kevin Negandhi – Anchor & Host

Jason Benetti – Play-by-Play Commentator

Ben Baby – NFL Nation Reporter

Shelley Smith Stroke

On May 14, 2017, Shelley collapsed in the Golden State Warriors after the Dubs’ Game 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Associated Press reported that she had gone through various tests for stroke at a nearby hospital in the Oakland area. Friends, colleagues as well as viewers sent their good wishes. Shelly was grateful and kept on updating her viewers via Twitter regarding her health progress.

Shelley Smith Cancer

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2014 her third cancer including uterine cancer. Shelly took six months’ leave from work to undergo chemotherapy. After going through chemotherapy for some time, her mammogram showed no sign of the disease which meant she was cancer-free. Although she was quite devastated about losing her hair, she was happy and proud of herself for winning the fight against breast cancer. As a result, Shelly joined cancer awareness programs as well as other charity work.

Moreover, she still helps spread the importance of early detection of breast cancer as well as other kinds of cancers. Shelly, also consulted with various charities including the American Cancer Society, the V Foundation, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Additionally, she joined forces with a production group out of Seattle to document her first post-treatment mammogram, called “Triumphant”.

Shelley Smith Kobe Bryant

She and Kobe Bryant began speaking after 10 years. Shelly covered Kobe’s rape trial in Colorado which he disagreed with some of the things she said. As a result, Kobe said that he would never speak to her again. At media day in 2016, Kobe went up to Shelly and gave her a big hug which left her dumbstruck. However, Shelly did not believe his nice demeanor as she believed that Kobe wanted to go out as a beloved and as a superhero.

Shelley Smith Salary

She receives quite a generous amount from working as a reporter for ESPN. Shelley’s average salary is $150,000 annually.

Shelley Smith Net Worth

Having worked in the media industry as a sports correspondent for quite some time, Shelley has managed to secure a decent fortune. Shelley’s estimated net worth is $1.5 million.

How Old Is Shelley Smith

Shelly is currently 65 years old. She was born on April 1, 1958, in Princeton, New Jersey, in the USA.

How Tall Is Shelley Smith

She is a woman of average stature. Shelley’s height is 5 ft 6 in (Approx 1.68 m).

Is Shelley Smith Married

Shelly is currently divorced and a single mom. She and her ex-husband Mike Tharp have one daughter named Dylann Tharp. Her daughter is a proud alumnus of the University of Oregon.

Shelley Smith Twitter