Stephen A. Smith called out Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell after a viral video surfaced showing him ignoring the team huddle during a playoff game.
The seventh-seeded Lakers lost 112-105 to the second-seeded Denver Nuggets in their first-round series. With the loss, the Lakers dropped to 0-3 in the series — virtually guaranteeing an early exit as no NBA team has ever come back from that deficit.
Russell became a popular target online after the game because he finished with zero points on 0 for 7 shooting. He was also filmed ignoring the huddle during a timeout, appearing completely disengaged from the game.
D’Lo refusing to take part in the huddle now. https://t.co/GjGz17ZNp0 pic.twitter.com/rRL39WSK5z
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 26, 2024
On Friday’s episode of First Take, Smith began his criticism of the Lakers by focusing specifically on Russell.
“D’Angelo Russell, what a disgrace,” Smith said. “An embarrassment… 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 — this is probably the most storied in basketball annals — and did a donut. Me and [Jay Williams] are sitting on this set. He scored as many points as us. It’s disgraceful.
“LeBron James doesn’t deserve a teammate like that — somebody like that, that’s not that prioritized, that’s not that focused. Get rid of him. Get rid of him.”
Watch above via ESPN.
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