Stephen A. Smith is not buying the Lakers’ offseason vision, and he’s making his point in blunt fashion.
After Los Angeles re-signed Austin Reaves and traded multiple picks for Walker Kessler, the expectation is that the team is mostly finished making big moves. The Lakers believe they have a group that can stand up in the Western Conference, but Smith tore into the shape of the roster on his podcast.
“Where the hell do the Los Angeles Lakers think they are going with a bunch of white dudes? Your three top players are white dudes?
Really? This ain’t golf, this ain’t baseball, it ain’t even soccer.
This is basketball,” said Smith on his podcast. “In NBA history, when have you seen your three most prominent players on the basketball team all be white, and what takes you to the promised land?
Somebody gotta say it, so I’m saying it. This is basketball; I’m not complaining; I’m making the point.
The Lakers aren’t going anywhere being led by three white dudes in today’s generation of basketball. It ain’t happening.
They both have earned what they have earned, and with LeBron James, I get it. But those two and Walker Kessler?
You ain’t scaring anybody with that. Rob Pelinka has made this white dude central.
No wonder LeBron James walked out the door.”
The reaction has been predictable, with fans blasting the take as racist. Smith, though, is framing it as a historical observation about how the league has always looked. The source of his argument is simple: no team has ever won a title with its three leading players all being white.
That’s where the Lakers’ current build stands out. The team’s top trio is white, and the roster itself leans heavily that way as well.
Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia, Drew Timme, and Sandro Mamukelashvili are all part of the mix, and even head coach JJ Redick is white. On top of that, the Lakers have lost LeBron James, a major locker room presence who helped keep things steady.
Still, the Lakers and their supporters are not treating this as some kind of crisis. Their view is that results matter, not race, and there’s confidence that Reaves, Doncic, and Walker have earned their contracts and can deliver on the floor. They believe that trio can push the Lakers toward success and silence the doubts.
Smith sees it differently. To him, this is a roster that doesn’t intimidate anybody, and he thinks the Lakers will regret committing to this group. The only real answer now is on the court.
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