Quote · PBD Podcast
FBI Wire on Newsom, Empire State Proposal & Mamdani's War on AC | PBD Podcast #827
Where this was said
Stephen A. Smith's Lakers Take and the NBA's International Takeover
At 1:40:10 · chapter starts 1:34:00
Patrick plays a clip of Stephen A. Smith questioning whether the Los Angeles Lakers can compete with three white players as their top stars, leading to spirited reactions around the table. Vinnie, who identifies as an Italian-American, objects to the framing and asks what would happen if a white commentator said the equivalent. Patrick counters with a Guardian article documenting that Mark Cuban's Dallas Mavericks — statistically the whitest team in the NBA across his ownership — won the 2011 championship by beating LeBron James's Miami Heat, with Dirk Nowitzki delivering 48 points in the decisive game. Tom identifies Emmanuel Acho as the NFL veteran turned media pundit behind the 'WNBA doesn't need Caitlin Clark anymore' argument that comes up in the next segment, providing biographical background on his brief NFL career. Adam delivers the episode's sharpest reframe: the black-white NBA debate is a distraction from the fact that the top tier of the league is now dominated by non-American players — Giannis from Greece, Luka Dončić from Slovenia, Nikola Jokić from Serbia, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from Canada, and Victor Wembanyama from France — representing a globalization of basketball talent that no one is talking about. The crew rounds out with a spirited discussion about Jaylen Brown's trade to the Philadelphia 76ers for a declining Paul George.
Stephen A. Smith asked what NBA team wins being led by three white guys. Adam flipped the question: the real story is that the top 10 NBA players are now mostly non-American — Giannis from Greece, Luka from Slovenia, Jokic from Serbia. The NBA globalization nobody's talking about.
During Mark Cuban's ownership, the Dallas Mavericks had at least 3 white players on their active roster in 15 out of 21 seasons — and won the 2011 NBA championship with that roster composition.
