Kevin Durant Endorses Take Claiming Stephen A Smith Isn’t a Real Journalist

Kevin Durant Endorses Take Claiming Stephen A Smith Isn't A Real Journalist

Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to creating controversies and going viral for his rants or sizzling hot takes about players and teams. His unapologetic and usually loud style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea including Kevin Durant. The Phoenix Suns superstar, who has been on the receiving end of a lot of flak from Smith, co-signed Jason Page’s lengthy takedown of the analyst.

The SportsWrap host, and former ESPN employee, was incensed about Smith reading a message from an NBA scout labeling Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown arrogant and unmarketable. Page posted a rant about the ESPN analyst on X and claimed he wasn’t a journalist but rather an entertainer, who makes outlandish claims to go viral on social media.

Kevin Durant seemingly agreed with the podcast host’s take as he endorsed it with a like. The Suns star has called out Smith in the past too. In 2022, the two-time Finals MVP attacked him and then-Fox Sports analysts Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, claiming that the trio’s work on First Take and UNDISPUTED was the ‘worst thing’ to happen to basketball.

Durant hasn’t been a fan of Smith for a while and is likely glad others are joining him in calling out the controversial analyst. He’s the second prominent NBA-affiliated voice to take exception to the analyst’s behavior this week after Detroit Pistons icon Isiah Thomas, who wasn’t too pleased about his comments on Jaylen Brown.

Isiah Thomas also calls out SAS

Following the Celtics’ Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the First Take crew discussed whether Jaylen Brown was the most underrated player in the NBA. During the segment, Smith read a bizarre message he claimed he received from an NBA scout,

“I wanted to read to y’all what an NBA source just sent me [about Jaylen Brown]. He said, ‘Jaylen Brown, it’s not so much that he’s underrated, it’s that he’s just not liked because of his I-am-better-than-you attitude. He knows it. It’s the same reason he is not as marketable as he should be.’ That’s what an NBA source just sent me.”

Isiah Thomas, who mentored Brown, took to X to call the analyst out. The Hall of Famer told him that he should either name anonymous sources making outlandish claims or not air those opinions.

https://twitter.com/IsiahThomas/status/1794761449304215788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Smith couldn’t conjure a viable rebuttal and accused Thomas of using cheap tactics to score social media brownie points. Asking the analyst to reveal his source, Brown also replied to the clip.

The Pistons icon defused the situation by responding he’d call him and address the situation in private. Thomas and Smith’s skirmish didn’t escalate, but if the analyst goes after Durant, expect an epic duel.

Post Edited By: Hitesh Nigam
Kevin Durant Stephen A Smith

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Jay Mahesh Lokegaonkar

Jay Lokegaonkar is a basketball journalist who has been following the sports as a fan 2005. He has worked in a slew of roles covering the NBA, including writer, editor, content manager, social media manager, and head of content since 2018. However, his primary passion is writing about the NBA. Especially throwback stories about the league's iconic players and franchises. Revisiting incredible tales and bringing scarcely believable stories to readers are one his main interests as a writer.

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