Luka Doncic will not be playing any more regular-season games for the Los Angeles Lakers after injuring his hamstring in their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Stephen A. Smith, at the time, felt that the injury was a good way to help the guard avoid criticism.
The Slovenian was on a tear up until that game, and saw his name being mentioned in the MVP sweepstakes. Even though the league did not agree, many felt Doncic was deserving of at least consideration.
However, the defending champions throttled the Lakers' superstar, forcing him to shoot just 30% from the field and a woeful 14.3% from beyond the perimeter.
After that performance, Stephen A. Smith suggested that the hamstring injury left Luka Doncic with a justified excuse, as whenever the latter has a bad performance, he tends to feign an injury.
This led to the ESPN analyst facing a lot of backlash, as fans felt the 58-year-old was disrespectful to athletes, as his words insinuated that the Lakers' guard was faking an injury.
Absolute Lie! But go ahead and get your clicks.
Stephen A. Smith wrote on XAbsolute Lie! But go ahead and get your clicks.
This was the ESPN $100 million sports broadcaster's response to a post that summarized how he thought Luka Doncic was faking an injury.
The father of two may have tried to defend his words by stating that 'faking an injury' was not what he was trying to suggest while on First Take.
However, fans were not convinced, and they came out with the receipts, going to the extent of adding a community note. While many proved how and why he was being hypocritical, others hurled whatever they could think of at the Queens native. Check out examples of those reactions below.
Stephen A. Smith might appear on First Take to clarify his words. After all, he is gunning for a political career and does not want unnecessary opinions to harm his image.
At the same time, he is already facing backlash for making a lot of noise out of something that wasn't even said. Therefore, it is possible that he will try to defend himself.
Luka Doncic has endured a Grade 2 injury to his hamstring, which has left his availability for the Los Angeles Lakers questionable. Now, even close friend Austin Reaves is out for the regular season.
With their playoff future hanging in the balance, the five-time All-NBA First-Teamer has decided to take an additional step and travel to Europe to meet specialists.
Doctors in Germany are known for their expertise in soft-tissue injuries, and various athletes have traveled to get another opinion from them. Doncic is hoping they can expedite his return to play.
Without him and Reaves in the lineup, the Lakers can forget about advancing past the first round, as the team is structured to help them lead.
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