Stephen A. Smith Eyes Wheel of Fortune With Pat Sajak Retiring: ‘I Wanna Throw My Name in the Hat’

Stephen A. Smith wears many hats at ESPN, but a new opportunity elsewhere has piqued his interest.

Earlier this week, longtime Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak announced the upcoming season of the game show will be his last. Sajak will have hosted the show for 41 seasons.

Now, Smith wants to try his hand at game show television.

“My mother loved Wheel of Fortune. LOVED Wheel of Fortune,” Smith said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “She really, really did; and so did I. I wanna throw my name in the hat!”

Smith, the face of ESPN’s First Take, clarified that he’d simply like to add Wheel of Fortune to his already-busy schedule.

“I ain’t trying to give up my day job,” he said. “I ain’t trying to give up my podcast. But I gotta tell you, if Wheel of Fortune called to ask me to host for a couple of days, I wouldn’t mind. I wouldn’t mind hosting that show while folks try to figure out what those letters mean, and what it equates into.”

Vanna White, who’s been with Pajak all 41 seasons as the show’s co-host, believes she’ll also be done at the end of Sajak’s final season. Smith has a plan for that, as well.

“I like Vanna a lot,” he said, “but I wouldn’t mind Meagan Good turning those letters.. Sanaa Lathan turning those letters… I think they’d get you ratings. They’d have my ratings.”

Watch the clip above.