Kevin Durant is one of the most iconic NBA players of the last 20 years, but the respect of being a living basketball legend isn’t extended to Durant from mainstream media. One of Durant’s occasional detractors is ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who has criticized Durant for his leadership as recently as last week. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Durant slammed Stephen A. and called him a clown.
“Yeah, Stephen A., I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A. I’ve been in the league for 18 years. I’ve never seen Stephen A. at a practice, or a film session, or a shoot-around. I’ve never seen him anywhere but on TV talking s— about players. … He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too.”
Stephen A. has multiple quotes slamming Durant over the years, with his recent criticism of Durant’s leadership leading to KD issuing a response on social media, before having multiple conversations with fans in the replies.
“I would disagree Stephen. I would argue, passionately, that my intangibles have always been on par with my talent.”
I would disagree stephen. I would argue, passionately, that my intangibles have always been on par with my talent
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) October 24, 2024
Smith was also pushing rumors regarding the Phoenix Suns wanting to trade Durant away over the summer, even going on to say that interested teams like the Houston Rockets did not want him either.
“Pay no attention to what Phoenix is saying. They want out of Kevin Durant right now. That’s number one. Number two, also, Houston doesn’t want Kevin Durant. Ime Udoka may want him, but organizationally, they know that they are not there yet, so their plans are more long-range. And they would prefer a Devin Booker, who they know it’s a slim chance they’ll get, but that would be their preference.”
Smith also repeatedly went live on national television to say that Durant was unhappy on the Suns after their 2024 Playoff exit, implying that the 35-year-old forward is isolating himself from teammates and coaches.
“It is a problem. We don’t see it ’cause the stats are there… They say Kevin Durant is never happy. They say he went more than a month without even talking to the head coach (Frank Vogel). They say he doesn’t look happy there. All he wants to do is play when the game starts and tip-off time arrives, but when it comes to ingratiating yourself with your teammates and getting along with everybody and stuff like that, he just lives in his own world.”
One of the worst moments between the two came last season when Smith slammed Durant for a rough stretch of games by calling him pathetic and saying he had no heart or pride on the court.
“Pathetic. No heart whatsoever. No pride whatsoever. You bring into account their culture and I think that’s what’s something that needs to be talked about for a quick second… What the hell are you doing? Why are you out there?! You’re Kevin Durant. You can average 30 in your sleep.”
Durant’s clap-back on Smith was long-awaited by many, so, unsurprisingly, Durant holds such opinions against the TV personality. Smith will likely respond to Durant in boisterous fashion on First Take tomorrow, so more shots might be thrown in this sudden November beef.
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