Kevin Durant takes jab at Stephen A. Smith over leadership questions

NBA star Kevin Durant threw some shade at ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday’s “First Take” debate about how much blame the Phoenix Suns star should shoulder for the team’s poor season.

The banner on “First Take” read, “How much blame does Durant deserve for the Suns season?” Smith then dove into how Suns team owner Mat Ishbia is on the verge of becoming one of the worst owners in the history of the sport.

Durant took his own shot at Smith after a fan pointed out the talking points on X.

“Steve is trying to run for president, u think he actually paid attention to a struggling team?? It’s called propaganda,” Durant wrote.

Durant suggested his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors in 2016 started the hate campaign against him. Durant won two titles with the Warriors before he left the team to sign with the Brooklyn Nets.

He added that he believed he was “one of the greatest leaders of all time” and it was a “shame” one of the fans who reacted to him could not see it.

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Smith fired back.

“Are we allowed to say anything?” Smith said. “There’s a residue of crumbs all over the place about things that have transpired in the career of Kevin Durant. We might question things here and there, but nobody disrespects this man. I love the guy. I don’t disrespect him. I’m simply saying, elements of leadership that other people may have had to galvanize a team is something that he doesn’t seem to have.”

Ishbia made a major gamble with the trade to acquire Durant during the 2022-23 season. The Suns dealt picks and key players like Cameron Johnson and Mikail Bridges to get him.

This season did not go as planned. Durant still averaged 26.6 points, 6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The Suns finished 36-46 as Durant still led the team in points per game and value over replacement player.

Durant could become a key trade candidate ahead of the 2025-26 season. He will be a $54.7 million cap hit, according to Spotrac.