Controversial NBA pundit Stephen A Smith sparked more controversy by claiming that the Los Angeles Lakers are now “too white” to be a good basketball player. The Lakers lost LeBron James and a handful of other secondary free agents. Smith was not content with the Lakers going after center Walker Kessler to make him the third big contract and top name on the roster behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
The following quote came from Stephen A during the Stephen A Smith Show:
“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.
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.”
Smith went overboard asking if the Lakers think they are fielding together a roster for other sports like golf, baseball or tennis. The quote upset a lot of fans since the NBA is getting more diverse with international talent, but Stephen A still claimed the roster is too white to be good in the NBA.
Stephen A Smith Hated The Walker Kessler Trade
The discussion point of Smith stems from the Lakers making two major moves that he strongly disagreed with. First, the Lakers and James agreed to part ways since both sides wanted to go in other directions.
LeBron feels that he has a better chance at happiness and NBA Championship contention on another team next season. The Lakers wanted to use the money freed up from James’ contract to add other noteworthy talents to the roster.
Kessler was the big trade today after the Lakers sent two draft picks to the Utah Jazz and committed to paying the young center. Smith feels the team has downgraded thanks to these two moves, but he used his over-the-top style to turn it into a more ridiculous topic.
Can This Lakers Team Contend For A Title?
Despite using a terrible reasoning regarding race, Smith decided to take a generally safe stance that the Lakers won’t win an NBA Championship with this roster. The point from Stephen A was that the Lakers invested in the wrong talents.
Doncic, Kessler, and Austin Reaves are going to be the top three talents for the Lakers moving forward. Most fans would feel safe with Luka as the top star, but Reaves and Kessler have glaring flaws as the second and third best players.
Smith is and should be criticized for making this about race rather than calling out some confusing moves. However, the talking point of the Lakers failing to contend with the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the West is more than fair when examining rosters.
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