The most recent chapter between the two began on Thursday, when Smith fired off a take regarding Durant’s legacy during an appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” Durant responded via Twitter, calling Smith’s take “egregious,” a point to which Smith seemingly agreed.
MORE: Kevin Durant’s perfect one-word response to Stephen A. Smith’s comments
The two agreed and that was that, right? Well, not quite.
On Saturday, Smith addressed the Twitter back-and-forth with Durant on “NBA Countdown” with Mike Greenberg, Michael Wilbon and Jalen Rose.
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“We all love basketball and we know how phenomenal KD is – I think he’s the best in the world when healthy, that’s just the amount of respect I have for him, but I’ve been in the media for a little while,” Smith clarified before doubling down.
After a one-word response on Friday, Durant returned to Twitter on Sunday to respond to Smith’s commentary with a more in-depth reply, beginning by calling the longtime NBA analyst “Steve.”
“Steve, since u decided to use ESPN to push your personal agendas, im sure your minions will run with this story for you, but if u believe this is what my career is defined by then you just a flat out hater,” Durant said in response to the video.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP closed by adding “it’s gonna be hard to box the god in.”
At the time of Durant’s response, he was preparing to miss his 11th consecutive game with a sprained MCL while his Nets looked to snap a seven-game skid in the midst of a number of trade rumors.
The level of frustration is understandable.
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To Smith’s point, the entire scope of the conversation would change if Durant returns from injury to lead the Nets to an NBA title.
