Stephen A. Smith tried to walk back the storm, but his own words kept the story alive. After backlash exploded online, Smith responded on X, calling the claim an ‘absolute lie’ and accusing critics of chasing clicks. The problem is simple. The video exists, and the quotes are clear.
“Absolute Lie! But go ahead and get your clicks.”
During a segment on First Take, Smith questioned Luka Doncic right as the Los Angeles Lakers were getting blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder. He pointed to Luka’s recent scoring run and then said the sudden hamstring issue raised eyebrows.
“It was almost like it’s a good thing Luka actually got hurt and had to get taken out in the third quarter, because when we saw him holding his hamstring in the first half, a lot of us were like, wait a minute, that wasn’t happening when you were dropping 30-plus the last 12, 13, 15 games.”
“But suddenly now your damn hamstring is hurt. We were looking at it with a raised eyebrow, because an ass-whooping will do that to you. It will make you humble. It will make you run for cover. It will make you want to run to the locker room.”
“It will make you pretend you got to use the bathroom. It will make you pretend that something might be a family emergency or anything just to get away from those confines. That’s the kind of a**-whooping we saw last night, and they came into this game, and we wanted to see whatever it was that we wanted to see from the Los Angeles Lakers.
Smith now claims he never accused Luka of faking an injury. Yet his own phrasing tells a different story. When you suggest a player might ‘pretend’ to escape a blowout, the message is clear. And the backlash was harsh and relentless.
That level of reaction did not come out of nowhere. It came after the facts became clear. Within 24 hours, the Lakers confirmed Luka suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain. And he requires three to six weeks of recovery and carries risk if rushed. Luka is now out for the rest of the regular season and likely the first round of the playoffs.
That changes everything.
The context matters. Luka finished that game with 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting before exiting. The Thunder dominated from the opening minutes, leading 44-21 after the first quarter and 82-51 at halftime before closing out a 139-96 win. It was one of the worst losses in Lakers history.
Still, a bad performance does not equal a fake injury. That is where Smith’s take lost credibility. Suggesting a player might be pretending to escape a loss crosses into speculation without evidence. Now, Smith is trying to reframe the narrative. His denial focuses on wording, and the audience focuses on meaning.
In the end, this situation comes down to accountability. Smith says he did not accuse Luka. The clip shows what he said, and the reaction shows how it was received. And the injury report confirms the reality.
