After lying dormant for several years, the Kevin Durant-Stephen A. Smith beef may have found its way back onto the grill.
The ESPN analyst Smith made some comments on “NBA Today” this week downplaying Durant’s legacy if the Brooklyn Nets do not end up winning a title. Smith said that, in that event, Durant will be known more for leaving Steph Curry than for the two titles that he won with Curry in Golden State.
“If [the Nets] do not win a championship. … Kevin Durant is on the verge for being recognized more so for the guy that left Steph Curry to go with Kyrie Irving, than he is for the two chips and two finals MVP.”
—@stephenasmith 😳 pic.twitter.com/HqCuCP86WS
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 3, 2022
Durant did not sound pleased about Smith’s comments. He wrote a simple, one-word response on Twitter to Smith’s take, calling it “egregious.”
Egregious
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 4, 2022
Of course, Smith is a talking head on television, and it is quite literally his job to come up with hot takes. Sometimes, players will respond to those takes, just like Durant did here.
But the subtext to all of this is the history between Smith and Durant. The two men got into it a few years ago when Durant called Smith a “liar” over Smith’s reporting on Durant’s free agency. Smith fired back by essentially threatening Durant on national TV.
Fortunately, the two have mostly stayed out of each other’s hair in recent years. But this could be the moment that resurrects their ill will of the past.
Photo: Oct 11, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) in action against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
