Kenny Smith just shut down the most tired narrative in basketball — and Laker Nation needs to hear it.
While everyone’s screaming that the Lakers have taken LeBron James for granted during his tenure in purple and gold, Smith stepped up on ‘First Take’ and dropped a truth bomb backed by receipts. The former champion who played alongside Michael Jordan in college and Hakeem Olajuwon in the NBA knows what greatness looks like when it’s properly supported. And according to him, the Lakers have bent over backward to keep the King happy.
Smith didn’t mince words. He reminded everyone that when LeBron wanted Anthony Davis, the front office mortgaged the future to get him. When the roster needed another superstar, Rob Pelinka orchestrated the blockbuster move to bring Luka Doncic to the Lake Show. When depth was required, they secured Rui Hachimura. Hell, they even drafted Bronny James when asked.
That’s not a franchise taking their star for granted. That’s an organization doing everything humanly possible to chase championships.
Smith’s perspective carries weight that desk analysts can’t match. He lived it with two of the greatest players ever to touch a basketball. His point about Jordan and Olajuwon never worrying about “cookies, or seats on the plane, or seats in the stands” cuts deep. Those legends focused on winning, and their organizations responded by building around them. Sound familiar?
The Lakers have operated the same way with Lakers LeBron James Kenny Smith praised. Every major move since 2018 has centered on maximizing LeBron’s championship window. The AD trade delivered banner number 17 in the bubble. The Doncic acquisition — despite the heavy price of losing pieces like Austin Reaves — showed the front office’s willingness to stay aggressive. Pelinka catches heat from all corners, but his track record speaks for itself. He’s kept the Lakers competitive in the brutal Western Conference while navigating salary cap hell and an aging superstar.
Sure, you can argue the Lakers haven’t surrounded LeBron with enough shooting. You can point to questionable role player signings and middling draft picks. The second-round exit to Oklahoma City stung, and watching the team fall short again raises legitimate questions about roster construction.
But taking LeBron for granted? That’s nonsense, and the receipts prove it.
The Lakers traded Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and a mountain of picks for Davis. They flipped future assets and rotation players to land Doncic. They’ve spent luxury tax money to keep competitive pieces around their stars. Compare that to Cleveland’s first stint with LeBron, when the front office surrounded the best player on the planet with Mo Williams as his second-best option and Anderson Varejao starting at center during championship runs.
The Lakers haven’t been perfect — no franchise is. But they’ve shown up. They’ve made the big swings. They’ve prioritized winning over asset hoarding or half-measures. That’s the opposite of taking someone for granted.
Now LeBron heads into unrestricted free agency with retirement looming as a real possibility. The Lakers LeBron James Kenny Smith defended face an uncertain future. But the narrative that the organization failed him doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Smith exposed that truth, and it’s time everyone else acknowledged it too.
The Lake Show has done what championship organizations do — they’ve gone all-in on their superstar. If LeBron walks away or retires, it won’t be because the Lakers didn’t try.
What do you think, Laker Nation? Has the front office done enough to maximize LeBron’s final years? Or should Pelinka have made different moves?