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Stephen A. tells Charles Barkley to STOP THE NONSENSE: A top-3 seed is a CONTENDER! | First Take

Stephen A. Smith, Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst join Shae Cornette on First Take to respond to Charles Barkley’s comments about the Los Angeles Lakers not being contenders and how LeBron James has started to click with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on the court. 0:00 Charles Barkley says Lakers aren’t contenders 0:38 Stephen A.…

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Stephen A. Smith, Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst join Shae Cornette on First Take to respond to Charles Barkley’s comments about the Los Angeles Lakers not being contenders and how LeBron James has started to click with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on the court.

0:00 Charles Barkley says Lakers aren’t contenders
0:38 Stephen A. responds to Chuck
3:08 Windy says the Lakers have been extraordinarily positive
6:07 Shams on LeBron adapting
7:30 Improvement of Austin Reaves

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25 Comments

25 Comments

  1. @Sneaker_Fox

    March 16, 2026 at 10:04 pm

    We all know the playoffs are all about matchups. It depends on the seeding and who they get to face in the first round. Lakers have to play someone who they know they can beat.

  2. @gambit2three

    March 16, 2026 at 10:13 pm

    To be honest with you I think chuck is right.. If ayton play like dumb playoff time, that’s it period.

  3. @tappthegreat7775

    March 16, 2026 at 10:16 pm

    ESPN Charles is a shell of TNT Barkley.. Just feels like he complains all the time now

  4. @ramfisrodriguez3533

    March 16, 2026 at 10:16 pm

    Laker fan here ✋. We are def not a threat. I’m aware we just beat Denver but for the most part we lose to great teams and beat the bums. We can’t play defense, we are not young and LeBron needs to be traded. Those are 3 things we can’t change this season but next season we might be a top 4 seed

  5. @RaymondEng-e3k

    March 16, 2026 at 10:18 pm

    Shams stop sucking up to baby goat LEBRON! All your praises about Lebron is pathetic!

  6. @cosmoguarriellojr.430

    March 16, 2026 at 10:23 pm

    The Lakers another starting center Mo Wagner, Windel Carter, Jaren Jackson Jr, they also need a starting point guard.

  7. @gregoryaguon1925

    March 16, 2026 at 10:24 pm

    Yes the got better in defense a little but it’s in spurts, you can definitely get away with that with bad teams or mid teams but teams like okc, spurs and Boston? Naw it’s gonna be a bad reality 😂 and I will always be a laker fanatic

  8. @byroncameron6503

    March 16, 2026 at 10:25 pm

    Nightmares come true Chuc 😂

  9. @Diyowhann

    March 16, 2026 at 10:29 pm

    Give credit to marcus mf smart

  10. @leandroagan8945

    March 16, 2026 at 10:34 pm

    Shams and windy glazing at lebron🤦

  11. @samlitt9141

    March 16, 2026 at 10:45 pm

    Contenders are a team that can contend with other contenders they will not beat okc or spurs

  12. @superchas1164

    March 16, 2026 at 10:49 pm

    The Lakers are not a threat, lets stop pretending plz lol

  13. @jpbeloro

    March 16, 2026 at 10:51 pm

    Wierdo

  14. @aust1nrobbinz167

    March 16, 2026 at 11:01 pm

    I hate hearing stephen a talk but somehow he always ends up on my yt. I was interested in Shams till he got cut off 😂

  15. @warren2486

    March 16, 2026 at 11:02 pm

    Did he just give Lebron some props?

  16. @AkashSolanki-pg4mw

    March 16, 2026 at 11:03 pm

    Classic Stephen A response to no ring chuck😂😂

  17. @ichiban-iq7wt

    March 16, 2026 at 11:04 pm

    keep that clown stephen as far away from inside the nba as possible espn

  18. @ChynaVirus

    March 16, 2026 at 11:05 pm

    The point Chuck is making is the thunder and the Spurs are light years ahead of the Lakers in terms of quality of the team. Assuming both teams stay healthy. Then you have the Rockets and the Nuggets, essentially neck and neck with the Lakers and the Nuggets are really a better team than the Lakers. Murray had a terrible night, which is very unusual. The western conference is pretty even after the one and two seeds. Based on the Lakers body of work, this season, they are easily the same quality team as the seventh seat. And they choke in the playoffs. They are not contenders.

  19. @mikehayesjr.1379

    March 16, 2026 at 11:05 pm

    Shout out to my city, Dayton Ohio

  20. @AquariumSurge

    March 16, 2026 at 11:16 pm

    As a Celtics fan, im just happy Marcus smart is finally getting some respect…even if he’s with the Lakers!

  21. @jackdenihan5333

    March 16, 2026 at 11:19 pm

    LeBron a not getting five , as a laker fan , Lebron hater who had to give him the pass because he got a Covid chip, a chips and chip. My inner hater gets to hold it against him as a Kobe guy . Lmao you have 3 real and two you had to chase and one under a handicap. Kobe got all his on one team 😂

  22. @fetkoi1

    March 16, 2026 at 11:26 pm

    How much is Bron paying Sephen A. bro, stop the glazinggggggg

  23. @maxioh576

    March 16, 2026 at 11:31 pm

    the Lakers have a losing record against teams that have winning records.

  24. @RiceDaddy07

    March 16, 2026 at 11:31 pm

    Why is being the number 3 seed “automatically makes you a contender”? That’s nonsense. What makes a team a contender is if they stand a chance against the favorites to win the championship. Boston and Denver stand a chance against OKC, therefore they are contenders. The Lakers do not stand a chance against OKC in a seven game series, therefore they are not contenders. Simple as that.

  25. @huntersyverson1780

    March 16, 2026 at 11:32 pm

    They were a 3 seed last year….and how’d that go for em? Yeah that’s what I thought.

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In this First Take YouTube Exclusive, Stephen A. Smith and Brian Windhorst share their top playoff atmospheres across the league, then weigh in on NBA MVP finalists. ✔️ Subscribe to ESPN Unlimited: #ESPN #NBA #FirstTake

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In this First Take YouTube Exclusive, Stephen A. Smith and Brian Windhorst share their top playoff atmospheres across the league, then weigh in on NBA MVP finalists.

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Stephen A. calls for the person who banged knees with KD to be ‘EXILED’ 😬 | First Take

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