Stephen A. Smith caused a stir on social media and on his show after saying the Lakers’ three best players are “white dudes,” adding “This ain’t golf.” The rant came as Los Angeles reshaped its roster in recent days after LeBron James’ departure, signing Walke
Stephen A. Smith didn’t ease into it. On his eponymous podcast, he opened with a flat claim about the Los Angeles Lakers’ new look—then doubled down with a line meant to sound blunt, but landed as something more.
“I’m saying it,” Smith said. “Your three best players are white dudes. This ain’t golf.”
He then leaned into the comparison, pointing to Team USA and what he framed as the sport’s reality: “And we got a whole bunch of brothers on Team USA. This is basketball, what y’all think this is?”
The timing matters. With NBA free agency opening in recent days. the Lakers used a flurry of moves to build a new core after the departure of LeBron James. They landed top free agent center Walker Kessler. paired him with face-of-the-franchise Luka Doncic. and used their recent extension of Austin Reaves to complete a trio that looks—and is being described—differently than what fans have come to associate with Los Angeles.
That “new-looking core” is exactly what Smith was reacting to, and his criticism didn’t stay contained. A clip of his comments circulated widely, including the line: “SOMEBODY HAD TO SAY IT. SO I’m saying it. Your three TOP PLAYERS ARE WHITE DUDES. REALLY?. This ain’t golf. This ain’t baseball. Hell, it ain’t even soccer. And we got a…”.
Other voices piled on with jokes that kept the controversy in the spotlight. Bomani Jones said the Lakers “ain’t been this white since they left Minneapolis”—a reference to the franchise’s former home from 1946-1961. Jones added: “If Lakers-Celtics became a nationwide thing again, me and the homies wouldn’t know who to root for.”.
On “The Bill Simmons Podcast. ” The Ringer’s Chris Ryan also leaned into the same theme. shouting out coverage of how Los Angeles GM Rob Pelinka was “Making The Lakers White Again.” Fans joined in with nicknames of their own. including “Snowtime Lakers. ” a play on the old “Showtime Lakers” moniker. and “Tres Leches.”.
At the heart of the uproar is the roster mix being formed around Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler. Smith’s point. and the online chatter that followed. is that the Lakers’ most visible talent stands out against league demographics. The article notes that more than 70 percent of the league’s players are Black and fewer than 20 percent are white. making the trio in Los Angeles a conspicuous contrast in perception.
Beyond the headline trio, the Lakers added more pieces to round out the rotation. Alongside Kessler, they also signed Georgian backup center Sandro Mamukelashvili. Other pickups included guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton.
The controversy didn’t change the Lakers’ personnel moves, but it changed the conversation around them—turning a free-agency reshaping into something fans are now debating with far more heat than basketball usually gets when the league is just getting started.
Stephen A. Smith Lakers Walker Kessler Luka Doncic Austin Reaves NBA free agency Rob Pelinka Quentin Grimes Collin Sexton Sandro Mamukelashvili
Wait so he said they’re white dudes like that’s a problem? Lol.
I didn’t even finish reading but I saw the clip. It sounds like he’s trying to be tough but it just comes off racist. Like basketball isn’t a personality test.
Isn’t it kinda funny tho? Like if they’re the three best players, what does race have to do with it? Also “this ain’t golf” makes no sense to me, like golf is suddenly about feelings??
Stephen A really loves saying stuff and then acting shocked when people react. LeBron leaving already had everyone tense and then he goes “white dudes” like that fixes anything. I guess Walker Kessler is the center so maybe he counted wrong? Idk, feels like he wanted controversy more than a real basketball point.