Shelley Smith (sports reporter)

Shelley Smith (born 1958) is an American sports correspondent, currently Correspondent for ESPN SportsCenter. Smith joined ESPN in January 1997 after working part-time as a reporter for the network since 1993.

An award-winning journalist and author of two books, Smith won a Sports Emmy in 1997 for her segment on Magic Johnson as part of an ESPN production on AIDS and Athletes.

Previously, she was a writer/reporter for Sports Illustrated (1989–1997), Pacific Stars and Stripes in Tokyo, Japan (1987) and The San Francisco Examiner (1984-1987) where she won a William Randolph Hearst Award in 1986 for her series on Title IX in the Bay Area. Smith has also worked for the Associated Press.

Smith is the author of two books: "Just Give Me the Damn Ball!" written with then New York Jets wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson following the 1996 NFL season and "Games Girls Play: Lessons to Guiding and Understanding Young Female Athletes," written with sports psychologist Caroline Silby, was released 2000.

Smith is the co-founder of the Magic Johnson Foundation newsletter, serves on various committees for The Boys and Girls Club of San Pedro and is a volunteer writer for many charity organizations, including the Serra Project, which provides homes for AIDS victims.

She attended the University of Nebraska from 1976-1981, majoring in journalism and political science. Smith has one child, a daughter who attended the University of Oregon and captained the women's soccer team, earning second team all-PAC-10 in 2007.