Lakers So White: What Happened to the Unofficial Team of Black America?
The Los Angeles Lakers will begin their 2025–2026 season with a starting five who have been looking forward to Thanksgiving so they can have pumpkin pie and green bean casserole with no hot sauce. What happened to the unofficial NBA team of Black America?
I’m not saying the Lakers should hand out roster spots based on who doesn’t burn after 15 minutes in the sun. (Oh, BTW, Black folks you need to use sunscreen too.) I’m just wondering how a franchise built on some of the coolest Black men in history ended up looking like the NBA’s first team sponsored by a ski resort in Vermont.
And no, white players aren’t the problem. The difference is that Black stars defined the team’s identity. That’s what made the Lakers more than a basketball team. In 1987, I got into a legit fistfight with my cousin Ken because he was rooting for the Boston Celtics instead of Magic and the Showtime Lakers. We tussled, my uncle said. Everybody Black was riding with the Lakers. Ken was a notorious contrarian.
So, I punched him. It was unwise because I was 10 years his junior, but he upset my Black sensibilities. Now, nearly 40 years later, I have to ask: What is this mess JJ Redick, Josh Kushner and Bob Iger are putting on the court?
Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and Jake LaRavia. They don’t even have a white dude who goes to a Black barber. These are the whitest white dudes that ever did white.
And no shade. These guys can ball. Luka is a certified assassin on the court. But cultural connection to Black fans? That’s another story.
The reason why the Lakers became the darling of Black America was because the team represented melanated excellence. Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers put Black men at the center of the NBA’s biggest spectacle. Then came Shaq and Kobe, giving us another generation of Blackety-Black greatness. You didn’t have to live in Los Angeles to love the team in purple and gold. They were a cultural institution, a reminder that Black men could command the spotlight and be the biggest stars in the world.
The team that was once dripping with swag and a showcase for Black excellence now looks like it was assembled by a committee that thinks diversity means putting hot sauce on a turkey sandwich.
The Lakers can win games, sell jerseys and hang another banner. But the team that once made Black America feel like it owned a piece of Hollywood has some ’splaining to do. The only thing Showtime about these Lakers is how quickly they’ve shown Black fans the exit.
