FIRST Take star Stephen A. Smith has come after Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder for his comments about Kevin Durant.
Schroder, 30, recently called the Phoenix Suns star “weak,” escalating their feud that started at the Paris Olympics.
The two have been involved in a public back-and-forth after the German playmaker shared his thoughts on the differences between NBA and European basketball at the Paris Olympics.
“European basketball is no entertainment,” Schroder, 30, said.
“It’s straight IQ basketball, straight coaching, and really, really high-IQ guys who know how to play the game.”
Durant, 35, responded to the remark after winning gold with Team USA.
The 6-foot-11 forward posted a picture of the American crew with their medals, captioning it, “Entertainment & IQ.”
And Schroder didn’t like the dig.
“For me, that’s just being weak,” Schroder said.
“You’re that type of a star, and you have to say something to a person like me who not even meant it to be negative.”
The Nets guard added, “I respect all of those guys, all GOATs, but to say that tells me how weak he is as a person.
“It is what it is. Not everybody is strong, not everybody is in a good place.”
Smith, 56, came to Durant’s defense on Tuesday’s First Take.
“You got no business calling Kevin Durant weak,” he roared.
“Let’s call Kevin Durant what he is.”
Stephen A. then mentioned some of KD’s accolades, including two-time MVP Finals titles, four-time Olympic gold medals, and USA Basketball’s all-time scoring record at the Summer Games.
NATIONS TO WIN OLYMPIC GOLD IN BASKETBALL
MEN’S:
- USA – 17
- Soviet Union – 2
- Yugoslavia – 1
Argentina – 1
WOMEN’S:
- USA – 10
- Soviet Union – 2
- ’92 Unified Team – 1
Smith did acknowledge that Durant can be “petulant” and “moody” at times, but added the Suns forward also is “one of the great people you’ll ever meet.”
The ESPN sportscaster said he wanted to put a stop to the need to talk about KD “like he’s just somebody.”
He then told Schroder, “You can’t shine Kevin Durant’s shoes.
“You can’t do it. You’re just not that guy.
“And you’re good. You’re not a scrub. … But you ain’t Kevin Durant.”
Smith said that Durant’s post didn’t warrant the kind of response Schroder had, noting that the Suns star simply noted Team USA had both entertainment and high basketball IQ.
“That’s excessive — and it’s disrespectful to Kevin Durant,” Stephen A. said.