"He's A Clown To Me, He's Always Been A Clown, You Can Write That Too" - The Kevin Durant vs Stephen A Smith Beef Appears To Be As Strong As Ever

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Beef between NBA players/teams and the media are certainly hot in the streets right now. We had Joel Embiid shoving that Philly columnist for saying some completely insane bullshit about his family as a lede to an Embiid hit piece, we had reports that the Celts banned Kendrick Perkins from their ring/banner night because of all the bullshit he's said on TV over the years, and now it appears we can add another round of the Kevin Durant vs Stephen A Smith beef.

In what feels like a yearly tradition between these two, it all starts back to something Stephen A said on his show last week

Honestly, given what we've seen at different stages of this beef, this was pretty minor. If there's one thing we know, it's that if you run your mouth about Kevin Durant on national television, he's going to call you out on it. Some call that being soft online, but not me. There's nothing wrong with standing up for yourself when reporters with a huge audience say something out of pocket. 

Again, this is a yearly tradition between those two

Now in the 2024-25 season, it's time to add a little spice back to this beef. While his tweet may have been mostly a nothing burger in response to Stephen A, he certainly did not hold back in an interview with The Athletic

After “First Take” posted the segment on social media, Durant responded on X, telling Smith that he respectfully disagreed and that he would argue “passionately” that his intangibles have always been on par with his talent.

In the Phoenix locker room Saturday night, after several teammates had already left Footprint Center, Durant spoke more forcefully.

“Yeah, Stephen A., I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A.,” he told The Athletic. “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.”

Now I can't sit here and tell you that Durant is 100% accurate here. I have no idea if Stephen A has ever watched a practice or a shootaround. I'm not sure how he would be allowed into a film session, but you get the point. But what is accurate is the fact that Stephen A does say some wild shit on TV. I'm not sure it's always the "talking shit" on a player, that's mostly Perk's job, but honestly welcome to sports media (especially NBA media) in 2024. You turn on ESPN and their NBA on ESPN shows and this is basically their only play. They got rid of Zach Lowe, lost JJ Redick and continue to reward hot-take artists who play this card repeatedly, giving them an even bigger platform and opportunity to continue doing it. Out with the analysis, in with the bullshit. That's essentially the ESPN playbook. 

Sadly, we all know what happens next. Stephen A will catch wind of this piece and either say something about it on First Take or he'll hop on his podcast. In the end, Durant did give him exactly what he wanted, but given their history, I don't exactly blame KD for continuing to call Stephen A out for the things he says. Accountability is important. If you're willing to go on TV and say something, then you have to be OK with when that subject responds. 

Meanwhile, the Suns are 5-1 and sit 2nd in the West. They've won 4 in a row and have already beaten the Clippers twice, the Lakers, and the Mavs. Durant is off to another insane start to his season with 25.8/7.0/3.0 on 51/44% splits. Sure the addition of Tyus Jones helps to a degree, and rookie Ryan Dunn has been a revelation to start the season, but as we know everything in the NBA starts and stops with the best player, and as the best player Durant has absolutely shown up on the floor. Is it a stretch to assume he's also doing his job as a leader as well? It's not like all this success happens by accident and it's not like we have examples of him being a poor leader in PHX. 

In a world where we don't really have the Skip/LeBron beef anymore, it's nice to know that KD/Stephen A can slide in and give us the pointless NBA drama that we all crave. Shoutout to them for that.