"How dare you say something like that" - Stephen A. Smith outraged by Dennis Schroder calling Kevin Durant 'weak'
Kevin Durant recently won his fourth straight Olympic gold medal after playing a vital role in Team USA's campaign in Paris. Even during the Olympics, Durant found himself in a public spat with Dennis Schroder, and the two have since traded jabs. The most recent is the German guard's 'weak' comment about Durant.
NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith has now spoken about the situation. He defended Durant and blasted Schroder on his ESPN morning show, 'First Take.'
"You attack this man, talking about he's weak, how dare you say something like that about Kevin Durant?," said Smith. "Kevin Durant doesn't deserve that.”
It was a historic Olympic stint for Durant, as he became the first men's basketball player in history to win four gold medals. Durant also holds Team USA's all-time record in scoring, field goals made, 3-pointers made, and free throws made in the Olympic Games.
Following Team USA’s gold medal-clinching win versus France, Durant posted a photo of the team on X with the caption “ENTERTAINMENT & IQ” which was a response to Schroder’s earlier comments that could be interpreted as a jab at the Americans.
“European basketball isn’t just about fun. It’s about basketball IQ, coaching skills, and players who really understand the game,” Schroder said before their bronze medal game, prompting Durant to respond.
For Stephen A. Smith, Durant had the right to give such a response and he then compared the two-time NBA champion to some of Team USA’s all-time greats.
"He's qualified to say that because he's the most celebrated Olympian in history in the sport of basketball," Smith added. "More so than LeBron James, more so than Steph Curry, more so than Carmelo Anthony. Certainly, more so than Dennis Schroder."
Dennis Schroder berates Kevin Durant after trade of online jabs
Dennis Schroder has then addressed his spat with Durant on his Twitch channel, where he attacked the Phoenix Suns star for responding to his initial comments.
“Despite being such a huge star, you felt the need to respond to a statement I made, which wasn’t even negative. To me, that was a weak move. I don’t care whether he tweets or not, but the fact that he posted it because of me shows just how weak his personality is,” Schroder said.
The 30-year-old point guard, who has played with seven teams since entering the NBA in 2013, stated that he respects Durant for his accomplishments but added that his subtle jabs at him revealed his true character.
“I respect Durant and players like him, some of the greatest in history, but this post revealed a lot about his character,” Schroder said.
Schroder led Germany to a fourth place at the Olympics after winning the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He was also named to the Olympics’ All-Star Five.