Stephen A. Smith called on the Los Angeles Lakers to “get rid of” guard D’Angelo Russell in a scathing segment on ESPN’s First Take Friday.
Countless Lakers fans had already beaten Smith to the punch in criticizing Russell, who had a terrible game Thursday night in a loss to the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets’ 112-105 victory over LA gave them a 3-0 lead in their playoff series. Russell was a non-factor, failing to score and missing all seven of his shots in 24 minutes.
An animated Smith lit into Russell.
“D’Angelo Russell, what a disgrace — an embarrassment,” Smith said. “It’s hard to look at this brother. This brother showed up in a game as a starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers … probably the most storied franchise in basketball, and did a donut. … He scored as many points as us. This is the same dude who averaged 6 points [per game] on 32% shooting and 13% shooting from 3-point range last year in the Western Conference finals.”
.@stephenasmith sounded off on D’Angelo Russell missing the Lakers’ huddle.
“LeBron James doesn’t deserve a teammate like that.” pic.twitter.com/MP03gqBhXz
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 26, 2024
“LeBron James doesn’t deserve a teammate like that,” Smith continued. “Somebody like that who’s not that focused — get rid of him.
“You just ship him out, because you know you can’t rely on him when it really, really counts. That means when you’re going up against some dogs, he’s gonna wilt beneath the pressure.”
Smith has called out other Lakers this season, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis, for the team’s lackluster season.
[Photo Credit: ESPN]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.