- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,196,171
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
'This Ain't Golf, This Ain't Baseball' -- ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Rips Lakers for Building Around '3 White Dudes'
The Los Angeles Lakers had a huge task in front of them this offseason. After getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, they entered the pivotal summer of 2026, which had been presented to Luka Dončić as the team’s turning point.
Unfortunately, recent decisions by the organization, led by general manager Rob Pelinka, have been controversial, to say the least. While some remain skeptical of the talent the team has brought in, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went nuclear on the Lakers’ roster construction, tearing it apart.
Stephen A. Smith Is Firmly Against the New-Look Lakers
After selling a dream to Dončić, it was finally time for the Lakers to make good on their promise. Unfortunately, the way the summer has gone so far hasn’t been ideal for the franchise. Right before free agency, LeBron James informed LA that he would be moving to a different team.
Since then, things have gone from bad to worse, as two other starters from the Lakers’ first-round upset over the Houston Rockets, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard, have found new homes.
Instead, they’ve spent resources on bringing in depth in the form of Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Collin Sexton. Their crown jewel of the offseason, though, was successfully finding an ideal rim-running threat for the Slovenian superstar.
On paper, Walker Kessler seemed like the perfect fit for that role. But giving him a four-year, $130 million contract while parting ways with two unprotected first-round picks and two first-round swaps has decimated their asset pool.
Now the team has no tradeable first-round picks over the next seven years, while allocating $475 million to its new trio of Kessler, Austin Reaves, and Dončić. For the voice of “First Take,” the new signings aren’t nearly enough.
“Where the hell the Los Angeles Lakers think they’re going with a bunch of white dudes?” Smith began on Wednesday’s edition of “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” “Your three top players are white dudes? Really? This ain’t golf! This ain’t baseball! Hell, it ain’t even soccer. What y’all think this is? It’s basketball!
“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 gotta say it, so I’m saying it. This is basketball! I’m not complaining, I’m simply making the point. The Los Angeles Lakers, you ain’t going anywhere being led by three white dudes in today’s generation of basketball!”
Even though he clarified the respect he had for the individual players on the roster, Smith voiced doubts that they were going to be enough collectively to compete in a brutal Western Conference.
“Luka’s a bad brother, and Austin Reaves is no scrub, and they both have earned what they have earned. Them with LeBron James or some other brothers, I get. But those two and Walker Kessler? You ain’t scaring anybody with that,” Smith continued. “And Rob Pelinka has done made this white dude central. No wonder LeBron James walked out the door.”
MORE:‘Utterly Shameful,’ ‘Problematic’ — Stephen A. Smith Faces Fierce Backlash After Arguing Lakers Can’t Win With ‘3 White Dudes’
Given the NBA’s salary cap restrictions, it is likely that the Lakers are done making notable moves this summer, unless they have another trade in the works. But the relative lack of remaining assets is going to make any follow-up move extremely difficult for the organization.
Instead, their current roster might be the unit that sees the court at the start of the 2026-27 season. It remains to be seen if Pelinka understands roster construction better than the vast majority of the basketball world, including Smith.
But history suggests that LA is going to be mired in mediocrity for the foreseeable future, potentially through the rest of its best player’s prime.
Continue reading...
