As he often does, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith made headlines Wednesday afternoon after sharing a controversial take on the new-look Los Angeles Lakers.
Smith pointed out that the Lakers are led by “three white dudes,” a comment that sparked major backlash across the sports world.
Sports World Slams Stephen A. Smith’s Polarizing Lakers Take
After the Lakers acquired 24-year-old center Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz in a sign-and-trade on Wednesday morning to team up with star guards Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, Smith took to “The Stephen A. Smith Show” to discuss the move and his brutally honest expectations for LA next season.
“Where the hell the Los Angeles Lakers think they’re going with a bunch of white dudes?” Smith began. “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!”
3 WHITE DUDES?! The Lakers Really Think THIS Can Win a Championship?
👇 Watch the full episode. Link in the comments. pic.twitter.com/jTQ2vrDV7C
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) July 1, 2026
Smith’s comments, particularly his decision to bring race into the discussion, didn’t go unnoticed. Several influencers and online personalities immediately took to X to share their thoughts on the situation.
“ESPN would have fired Stephen A. Smith by now if he was a white man who said this about black athletes,” one influencer wrote. “So if Jokić, Luka, and Cooper Flagg were on the same team, their white skin would prevent them from winning an NBA title? This is just stupid.”
ESPN would have fired Stephen A Smith by now if he was a white man who said this about black athletes.
So if Jokic, Luka, and Cooper Flagg were on the same team, their white skin would prevent them from winning an NBA title?
This is just stupid. https://t.co/xkhSZwdi4C
— Samuel Sey (@SlowToWrite) July 1, 2026
“Could you imagine if a white dude said this about some black dudes…” six-year NFL veteran Dorin Dickerson chimed in.
Could you imagine if a white dude said this about some black dudes… https://t.co/KnV9tJTd9A
— Dorin Dickerson (@scorindorin) July 1, 2026
Another user went as far as to question Smith’s future as an analyst, writing, “Stephen has now most likely said something that’s going to shift the entire course of his career, and this is it. You might be able to think certain thoughts, but saying them on your big [expletive] platform is ultimately problematic. This is the one they’ve been waiting for.”
Sports media personality Robin Lundberg argued that Smith crossed the line by turning what could have been a joke into serious analysis, adding that the Lakers’ projected starting five is “pretty good.”
The 3 white dudes thing works as a bit, but moving it to analysis is when you step in it. Lakers starting 5 is pretty good and Luka and Reaves are objectively cold. https://t.co/N6HtBeaSAT
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) July 1, 2026
“Everybody is entitled to their opinion and to freedom of speech. That said, something tells me this is one that’s going to need to be walked back because it’s a very dangerous angle to take,” another influencer stated.
“The color of a person’s skin should never be part of evaluating someone’s talent, value, or potential, whether in sports or anywhere else. Judge people by their character, work ethic, and performance, not by the color of their skin. We should be moving beyond that, not encouraging it,” he continued.
Everybody is entitled to their opinion and to freedom of speech. That said, something tells me this is one that’s going to need to be walked back because it’s a very dangerous angle to take. The color of a person’s skin should never be part of evaluating someone’s talent, value,… https://t.co/vhOXgjSbRs
— RYBACK (@Ryback) July 1, 2026
NFL columnist Vincent Bonsignore also expressed his disappointment, sharing, “An utterly shameful take by @stephenasmith. Ugly. Hurtful. Horrendous. Ignorant.”
An utterly shameful take by @stephenasmith
Ugly. Hurtful. Horrendous. Ignorant. https://t.co/aK1caY4c65
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) July 2, 2026
