WNBA free agent Sophie Cunningham has enjoyed watching Luka Dončić’s dominant start to the season, and it also gave her a reason to revisit Stephen A. Smith’s skepticism about the Los Angeles Lakers.

During Thursday’s episode of “No Hesitation,” the seven-year WNBA veteran praised the Slovenian while discussing Smith’s argument that the Lakers cannot win a championship with Dončić, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler as their three leading players.

Sophie Cunningham Pushes Back on Stephen A. Smith’s Lakers Take as Luka Dončić Rolls

Smith made the argument July 1 after Los Angeles reshaped its roster around the trio. He doubled down Tuesday on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” even as the Lakers opened the season 10-2.

Cunningham raised the criticism while explaining what has impressed her about Dončić this season.

“He’s killing it. He has been so much fun to watch, and I think it’s so funny,” the former Phoenix Mercury guard said.

“Stephen A. Smith came out, I don’t know when this clip was, I just saw it because clearly Luka’s been going off, and so they’ve been putting his highlights all over my social media and whatnot.”

The 2025 Commissioner’s Cup champion then paraphrased the argument she had seen from the “First Take” host:

“And it’s Stephen A. who’s like, ‘Why would the Lakers ever build a team around three white boys? Like, look at the NBA history. That’s never gonna happen! That’s never gonna be successful!’ And he’s out there freaking killing it. I think it’s so funny.”

Her wording was not a direct quote from Smith, but it reflected the argument he made over the summer.

“Your top three players are white dudes. … In NBA history, when have you seen your three most prominent players on a basketball team all be white and that takes you to the promised land?”

He maintained the same position this week.

“I’ve never seen an NBA team with its top three players being white deliver a championship. It’s never happened and I’m here to tell you I don’t think it’s going to happen this year.”

Smith also acknowledged Los Angeles has a chance to contend, but said he does not expect it to end with a championship.

The former Dallas Mavericks star has continued his strong start on the court. The five-time All-Star scored 32 points with 10 assists and 8 rebounds in a 124-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 9. Two nights later, he finished with 32 again as Los Angeles beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-112.

Reaves and Kessler have also produced during the Lakers’ strong start. Reaves tallied 43 points in a 121-116 win over the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 8, while Kessler had 16 rebounds. Against Atlanta the next night, Kessler finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

The win in Milwaukee moved Los Angeles to 11-2 after three road victories in four days.

Cunningham was not declaring the championship debate settled in November. Her reaction was much simpler: Dončić’s start has made Smith’s offseason skepticism considerably more entertaining for her to revisit.