ESPN Article Seems To Suggest Race Played A Role in Lakers Not Telling LeBron About 'White' Luka Trade

It took less than 48 hours for someone at ESPN to mention Luka Doncic's skin color after the shock trade that saw the Mavericks send the star guard to the Lakers for Anthony Davis and a pick.

Currently posted on ESPN's homepage is an article by William C. Rhoden in which he laments how the NBA owners exchange players with other NBA owners as if they are mere objects.

Though it's not Doncic for whom Rhoden has sympathy, but instead LeBron James.

Huh?

"Most shocking of all, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, who I assumed had a seat at the table in all team decisions, was reportedly also left in the dark. That’s hard to believe but, if true, only amplifies the point of players — even superstar players — being well compensated pieces on a chess board," Rhoden began.

"Perhaps the Lakers felt that because they did James a solid by drafting his son, Bronny, they didn’t need to bring him into the Doncic transaction. Or perhaps because it means that Doncic, a young white superstar, will replace James as the Lakers’ main draw."

Ahh, there it is.

To the average reader, the line describing Doncic as a "white superstar" would seem out of place, like an unnecessary detail or line that was meant to be edited out before publishing. After all, the author never once mentions the races of LeBron or Davis. Race is only mentioned one time throughout the entire story.

That was our takeaway at first. Therefore, we asked ESPN PR rep Mac Nwulu, who answers for Rhoden, what significance Doncic's skin color played in the story. Perhaps there was a reason, and we overlooked it. Unfortunately, Nwulu didn't respond.

But then we remembered that we had previously read another article in which this William C. Rhoden fella penned. Then it started to make sense.

Two years ago, Rhoden published an op-ed dripping with racial animus. The article focused on Nikola Jokic and sought to dismiss his greatness after leading the Nuggets to an NBA Finals victory over the Heat. In the article, Rhoden accused Americans of "Great White Hope-ism" for labeling Jokic an "all-time great."

Per Rhoden:

"The premature canonization of Jokić is a contemporary manifestation of the Great White Hope trope that began in 1908 when Jack Johnson became the first Black heavyweight champion — and the scourge of white American society."

Oh.

At this point, you probably expect us to cite the examples Rhoden provided of Americans declaring Jokic an "all-time great" or superior to the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant. We'd expect that too. However, Rhoden never provided any examples. Rather, he simply accused unnamed people of prematurely coronating Nikola Jokic because he's white. 

Per the article:

"When he was voted NBA MVP for two consecutive seasons, my antenna went up, a reaction that happens when a white player excels in a sport dominated by Black athletes. This typically results in the sports media reacting with gushing praise. It’s not enough to say the white athletes in question are great, but they are the greatest of all time, the smartest, and the most transformative."

Huh? Who did that?

DALLAS, TX -DECEMBER 25 : Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks leaves the court against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half at American Airlines Center on December 25, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

But then William C. Rhoden unmasked himself, recalling how Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman once viewed Larry Bird – as in only good for a white boy.

"Larry Bird is a very, very good basketball player," Rhoden quoted Rodman saying. "But if he was Black, he’d be just another guy."

He then quoted Thomas: "I think Larry is a very, very good basketball player. He’s an exceptional talent. But I have to agree with Rodman. If he were Black, he’d be just another good guy."

Notably, Rhoden did not explain how ignorant and factually incorrect those statements were. Bird wasn't just good for a white boy. He turned out to be one of the 10 best NBA players of all time, better than Thomas and Rodman.

Rhoden did, however, complain that Rodman and Thomas had to "spend the next 35 years apologizing" for their racist remarks about Bird.

So, now you know why Rhoden felt the need to highlight Doncic's skin color in a story in which race plays no part. Rhoden believes – or pretends to believe – that black players are disrespected, white players are overhyped, and that Great White Hope-ism is running wild across the NBA.

The point: Rhoden tried to lead his readers to believe that the Lakers did LeBron dirty by not telling him they planned to one day replace him with a white boy. 

Damn them.

In reality, the Lakers traded for Doncic because the Mavericks were foolish enough to swap a 25-year-old generational talent for an aging superstar and only one first-round pick. 

The Lakers didn't inform James ahead of time because Dallas clearly (for whatever reason) did not want any other parties aware of its intentions of trading Doncic. The team traded for Doncic because LeBron is 40 years old and has hinted that next year could be his final season in the NBA.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn't disrespect LeBron by bringing in his successor. That is how the Lakers operate. The franchise has long paired its current superstar with a younger superstar for a few years before that younger superstar inherits top billing. The team did that with Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, Shaq and Kobe, and now LeBron and Luka.

Notice that replacing a black star with a white star is not a common thread in how the Lakers operate. This will be the first time it ever happens. 

The Lakers, like their fans, just want to win titles. It's only journalists like William C. Rhoden who care about the skin color of the players trying to win those titles.