*Stephen A. Smith is standing by his claim that the Los Angeles Lakers will not win a championship with three white players leading the team. The sports commentator repeated the argument on his latest podcast episode and refused to back away from it, Heavy reports.
“But I’ve been on the record, and I ain’t apologizing for it, by the way, because people thought I was stuttering. I guess I don’t stutter that much,” Smith said.
His argument rests on league history. “I said, ‘I’ve never seen three players, led by three white guys spanning decades, ever lead an NBA team to a championship.’ My opinion hasn’t changed,” he said.
To support his case, Smith ran through top teams from different NBA eras. The closest example was the Boston Celtics of the 1980s, led by Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. That team’s third star, however, was Dennis Johnson.
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Smith’s comments target the Lakers’ top three players: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. “We’re 12 games into the season, and my opinion hasn’t changed about the Los Angeles Lakers,” he said.
He does expect Los Angeles to reach the postseason. “I think the Lakers are a playoff team. I think they’re going to get to the second round of the postseason, and then they’re going to get humbled and go home,” Smith said.
The Lakers have picked up recent wins over the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks while Doncic and Reaves alternated days off.
None of that changed Smith’s forecast. “I’ve never seen an NBA team with its top three players being white deliver a championship. It’s never happened, and I’m here to tell you, I don’t think it’s going to happen this year,” he said.
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