{
  "id": 19440624,
  "title": "Stephen A. Smith says Lakers can’t win a title with ‘top three players being white’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/stephen-a-smith-says-lakers-cant-win-a-title-with-top-three-players",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-11T03:50:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/stephen-smith-says-lakers-t-035033418.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith criticized the Los Angeles Lakers, stating they cannot win a championship because their top three players are all white. The ESPN star made this argument following the Lakers' strong start to the season, which has seen them win six consecutive games led by Luka Doncic. Smith argued that he has never witnessed an NBA team with its top three players being white win a championship, and he believes it won't happen this year either. The Lakers restructured their roster around Doncic during the offseason, adding Walker Kessler as a center through a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz. Doncic's impressive performance in a recent game against the Atlanta Hawks further bolstered the Lakers' early-season success. Despite the Lakers' impressive start, Smith remains unconvinced, citing race as irrelevant to the team's chances. He insisted that he wasn't making a racial issue but emphasizing the facts, while alluding to the potential impact of a championship for the NBA, the Olympics, and Los Angeles.",
  "summary": "The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the NBA’s best teams to start the season, winning six straight games behind Luka Doncic. But Stephen A. Smith still isn’t buying them as a championship contender for a rather bizarre reason: their top players are all white. This week, the ESPN star claimed that he wasn’t…",
  "key_points": [
    "Stephen A. Smith claims Lakers can't win title with all-white top three players",
    "Six-game winning streak led by Luka Doncic highlights Lakers' strong start",
    "Smith emphasizes race isn't issue, focuses on facts about team's chances"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Smith's controversial assessment suggests that racial composition may dictate championship potential, challenging the meritocratic assumptions surrounding the Lakers' recent roster restructuring and early-season success.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}