Stephen A. rant Lakers ‘bunch of white dudes’ is unacceptable – racist much?

Stephen A. rant Lakers ‘bunch of white dudes’ is unacceptable – racist much?

The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the offseason completely reshaping their franchise.


With LeBron James reportedly moving on after eight seasons in Los Angeles, the Lakers have turned the page and gone all-in on a younger core led by Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and newly acquired center Walker Kessler. The front office doubled down on that vision by signing Reaves to a massive long-term extension and surrendering a significant haul of future draft picks to acquire Kessler from Utah.

The moves were widely viewed as an effort to build a younger, deeper roster around Doncic following the end of the LeBron era. Some analysts have questioned whether the Lakers paid too much for Kessler, while others believe the new-look roster is better positioned for long-term success. Oddsmakers even improved the Lakers’ championship outlook following the offseason moves.

But ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith had a different concern entirely. Race.

Reacting to the Lakers’ new core on his show Wednesday, Smith openly questioned whether a team led by three white players could compete for an NBA title. “Where the hell the Los Angeles Lakers think they’re going with a bunch of white dudes?” Smith asked. “Your three top players are white dudes? Really? This ain’t golf! This ain’t baseball! Hell, it ain’t even soccer! What do y’all think this is? This is basketball!” Smith continued. “In NBA history, when have you seen your three most prominent players on a basketball team all be white, and that takes you to the promised land? Somebody got to say it, so I’m saying it!

“The Los Angeles Lakers, you ain’t going anywhere being led by three white dudes in today’s generation of basketball!”


The comments immediately ignited criticism online, with many observers asking a simple question: What would happen if a television personality declared that a team couldn’t win because its best players were black?

Smith later attempted to soften the criticism by praising Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler individually, while accusing Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka of creating what he called “white central.”

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