Stephen A. Smith responds to Emmanuel Acho calling his ‘White Dude Central’ Lakers comment ‘racist’
· Yahoo Sports
Stephen A. Smith is pushing back after Emmanuel Acho called his comments about the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster “racist.”
Smith went viral on Wednesday for his reaction to the Lakers’ new core of Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler, arguing the team couldn’t compete for a championship with an all-white group of star players and calling the lineup “White Dude Central.” The comments drew criticism from several corners of sports media, including from those like Acho, who on his show, Speakeasy, called Smith’s take “racist,” accusing the First Take host of feeding into the same sorts of stereotypes that held back Black quarterbacks in the NFL for much of the league’s history, which he said Smith would be the “first person” to call out.
Visit likesport.biz for more information.
“You don’t have the luxury of crying out ‘racism’ and then simultaneously spewing a racist remark. We just don’t have that luxury,” Acho said. “Contrary to Stephen A.’s belief that somebody gotta say it, nobody had to say it.”
So while Smith is on a scheduled break from ESPN and SiriusXM, he got back in the saddle and issued a response on his YouTube channel on Thursday.
In the video, Smith addressed Acho directly, telling the former FS1 host that he calls balls and strikes in all situations where race and sports intersect, and defending his judgment on what is appropriate to say in those situations.
“I’m going to say what I feel,” Smith said. “You are absolutely right. Every truth ain’t meant to be told, particularly at certain times. And I’m sensitive to that, really, and I got that. But damn, the Lakers recently agreed to the deal (for) Luka, you turn around and sign Austin Reaves. Not only that, you go out and you get Walker Kessler. In the meantime, LeBron James walks out the building … and I’m saying, ‘Hey, these are the Lakers. That ain’t gonna cut it.'”
Later, Smith returned to Acho with a more personal retort, teasing that it surprised him to hear Acho suggest that a topic or conversation might be off limits.
“I didn’t know you were the kind of brother that felt like certain things shouldn’t be said,” Smith said. “That’s news to me, considering how many things you say. I wasn’t aware of that. I’m kind of surprised hearing that from you.
“I’m not even saying you’re wrong. I’m just saying I’m surprised to hear that from you, considering the inordinate amount of subjects you tackle that nobody thinks to tackle.”
Smith then called Acho’s perspective on his Lakers joke a “weak-a** argument,” and explained that he respects the many white athletes who have had legendary careers in the NBA.
In fairness to Smith, Acho once hosted a digital show specifically centered on “uncomfortable conversations.” His media career has largely been about toeing the line and selectively crossing it to provoke a response.
Recent videos on Acho’s Speakeasy channel refer to an NFL player as a “f*cking dumba**” and telling another to “shut the f*ck up.” Reading between the lines of Smith’s taunts near the end of his video, Acho may want to avoid going too deep into a tit-for-tat with Smith over what is and isn’t appropriate to say on a sports show.
The post Stephen A. Smith responds to Emmanuel Acho calling his ‘White Dude Central’ Lakers comment ‘racist’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.