ESPN host Stephen A. Smith says the Los Angeles Lakers have too many White guys to succeed in the NBA.
On Wednesday, he mocked the team’s trade for Walker Kessler, pairing him with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
“Where the hell the Los Angeles Lakers think they are going with a bunch of White dudes?” he asked on his podcast. “Your three top players are White dudes. Really? This is basketball.”
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He then asked, “In NBA history, when has a team led by three White dudes ever gone to the promised land? Somebody gotta say it.”
To answer his question: Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge.
Smith then declared, “You ain’t going anywhere with three White dudes. Ain’t no way.”
OutKick asked Smith via email why he believes White basketball players are inferior and whether he believes there are any cases in which Black athletes are inferior. He did not respond by the time of publication. We will update this story if he does.
We want to stress that Smith not only made these comments on-air but also had his team post the clip on social media. He and his team appear proud of his racist remarks. Like many Black members of sports media, Smith takes pride in his anti-White bigotry.
And that’s exactly what this segment was: anti-White bigotry.
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Imagine the outrage if Smith heard someone question how far an NFL team could go with a Black quarterback, Black head coach and Black general manager. In fact, Smith has long argued that the NFL has overlooked Black candidates at those positions because of racial bias.
Yet in this case, he’s the one reducing athletes to their race. Apparently, that’s okay, so long as the athletes who are reduced are White.
The comments also make Smith look uninformed.
Luka Doncic led the NBA in scoring this past season at 33.5 points per game. Austin Reaves averaged 23.3 points. Walker Kessler averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds.
While this newly formed Big Three is hardly LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Lakers’ trio compares favorably with the top three players on most NBA teams, including teams led by three Black players.
More broadly, the idea that White players are inherently inferior no longer matches reality. While the race idolaters had hoped Victor Wembanyama would surpass him, Nikola Jokic is still the best player in the NBA. He’s White. Cooper Flagg is a highly promising rookie. He’s White. Caitlin Clark is a phenom. She’s White.
This reality seems to bother people like Stephen A. Smith, who appears uncomfortable with the infusion of White star players in basketball. He’s not alone. Kendrick Perkins, Jemele Hill, Monica McNutt and Gilbert Arenas have all made comments suggesting a similar discomfort at various points.
We would add Sheryl Swoopes to that list, but as she once told us, “Black people can’t be racist.”
Yes, they can. Look at the racial hostility that Caitlin Clark faces from Black players and media members on a nightly basis.
The worst part is that there are no repercussions for directing blatant racism toward White people. Nothing will happen to Smith. It’s called privilege.
But imagine the message ESPN could send by suspending him for remarks that, by any ordinary definition, are racist.
It would certainly make others think twice before making similar comments about White athletes.
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Finally, as OutKick has reported, “First Take” has posted sluggish ratings for months compared to other ESPN programming. Pat McAfee has surpassed Smith as the face of the network. Uninformed, low-IQ commentary like this is a big reason why.
We predicted that ESPN could soon regret agreeing to give Stephen A. Smith a five-year, $100 million contract last year. We suspect that is now officially the case.
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