Fansided

Stephen A. Smith fires back at Kevin Durant’s harsh criticism

By Ian O'Brien

May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith (left) prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 22, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; ESPN television personality Stephen A. Smith (left) prior to game two of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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First NBA superstar Kevin Durant insinuated ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was a liar, and now the reporter is firing back as only he could.

ESPN First Take analyst Stephen A. Smith claimed that he received word that Kevin Durant would strongly consider leaving in free agency and ponder going to the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards or New York Knicks, with Hollywood being his ultimate preference.

However, Durant came out on Friday and claimed that Smith was lying, noting that he had yet to actually talk with any of Durant’s people, the only ones who would know of any such plans.

As soon as Durant fired off his missive, we knew it was only a matter of time before ESPN’s Smith came back firing. Smith instantly defended himself on his official Twitter account and posted a long response that was not able to fit into a tweet, so the full rant was posted to TwitLonger.

Durant is entering the final year of his contract with the Thunder, which may give the team one last chance to win a title with him and point guard Russell Westbrook playing together.

The Thunder have been unable to win a title so far. They reached the 2012 NBA Finals before losing to the Miami Heat.

Although Durant has often been known as a nice guy in the NBA, he previously spoke out against Smith’s even more controversial First Take counterpart, Skip Bayless.

The 2014 NBA MVP criticized the media and seemingly targeted Bayless, and he had already slammed the First Take shock value ace for knowing nothing about basketball.

Smith has become an increasingly controversial figure over the past year, as he was suspended by ESPN for comments about domestic violence when talking about the Ray Rice incident. He also received severe backlash for implying that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly might be a racist.

He had claimed that Kelly “makes decisions that leave a few brothers feeling uncomfortable,” and he cited the Eagles’ decision to release wide receiver DeSean Jackson while keeping Riley Cooper around.

It remains to be seen whether Smith’s rant will be believed by his followers and sports fans, but response tweets below his post seem to indicate that he will have no such luck.

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