"I meant that s**t" - Stephen A. Smith doubles down on his 'weakest move I've ever seen by a superstar' take on Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has never been afraid to go toe-to-toe with some of his doubters. That includes analyst Stephen A. Smith, who was one of the many who have been vocal about some of the Brooklyn Nets superstar's decisions over the course of his career.
After blossoming into one of the NBA's best players, Durant left the OKC Thunder as a free agent in 2016. He chose to join one of the league's strongest teams, the Golden State Warriors.
It was a decision that many have been quick to jump on as Durant went on to win two championships with Golden State. One of those who was extremely vocal was Smith. On a recent episode of the "I Am Athlete" podcast, Smith discussed why he was so vocal about Durant's decision:
"When he left from OKC to go to Golden State ... I called it the weakest move I've ever seen by a superstar. I meant that s**t. I mean it today. Now, I don't mean for people to interpret it as him being weak, right? I don't mean to imply that he ain't the superstar he is.
"I'm saying: You were in game seven of a conference finals, you lose to that team and three weeks later you're playing for the team.
"What I was trying to say was – and I explained it to him to his face when I was sitting across from him on his show 'The Boardroom' – and I said, 'You're so phenomenal, so great, that when you joined that team you dramatically shifted the balance of power in such a profound fashion. Competition was nonexistent.
"We knew the moment he arrived in Golden State with Klay (Thompson) and Steph (Curry) it was a foregone conclusion."
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Kevin Durant set to return to Brooklyn Nets for 2022-23 season
Kevin Durant has found himself in the spotlight for the majority of his NBA career. That's what comes with being one of top basketball players in the world. Although Durant's ability cannot be denied, he's also been passionate about his desire to call out some of his critics.
While plenty will point out that Durant left the OKC Thunder to join a championship-caliber team, the decision paid off. Durant won two championships with the Warriors before signing with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent in 2019.
David Aldridge argues Kyrie Irving is harder to replace than Kevin Durant
“I don’t think [Brooklyn] can replace Kyrie. It sounds crazy, I think they can more easily replace KD than they can replace Kyrie, 'cause nobody does what Kyrie does!”
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After asking for a trade from the Nets in late June, Kevin Durant has reportedly agreed to return to the team. Time will tell if KD will be traded during the year, but for now it looks like the forward will return for another shot in Brooklyn.