“I don’t question the greatness nor commitment of Kevin Durant. … When you are that great … you should be able to be a better leader than he has shown,” Stephen A. Smith expressed about Kevin Durant in an episode of First Take. Yes, the million-dollar sports analyst doesn’t mince his words with KD. He continues to criticize him and this time, it caught the attention of the Phoenix Suns player.

The Phoenix Suns have tried to win their first NBA championship but failed in multiple attempts. They couldn’t do it with Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker. They couldn’t do it with Durant, Paul, and Booker, and didn’t win with Bradley Beal, Durant, and Booker. In comes the question -Does Kevin Durant have what it takes to become a leader?

Well, he won two championships with the Golden State Warriors, didn’t he? So some of those intangibles exist. In a reply to Stephen A. Smith, Durant mentioned, “He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too.” With all that’s happening, Mase came into the discussion to give his opinion. And of course, Stephen A. Smith replied to the player. But for now, let’s focus our attention on another opinion.

In the latest episode of ‘Come and Talk 2 Me’, the American rapper often talks about the NBA and NFL, but this time chose to answer Stephen A. Smith. Mase, you better get ready because Smith will come back at you. He stated, “I’m on KD’s side, yo. Stephen A….we know it’s your business, but watch how you talk about KD.”

He continued, “Cut the guy some slack. This is goodfellas. You don’t talk this way about KD, one of the greatest they’ve ever laced them up. You put respect on LeBron’s name, put a little bit more respect on KD’s name. And I know, you know Stephen A, always finds a very articulate way to polish what he’s saying. But you got to talk better about KD, man.”

Stephen A. Smith-Kevin Durant – A saga that keeps on giving!

With Durant winning 2x NBA champions, some fans disregard his victory for joining a super team. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green already on the team, Durant’s addition stunned the fan base. But, he won two Finals MVPs, shutting down most naysayers. Mase wants people to cut him some slack. Mase wants respect for Durant’s name, comparable to how most fans want it. Yes, there is confusion regarding the player joining the Warriors.

But when you look at this career, those numbers don’t lie. He became a regular-season MVP in 2014 and a 4x scoring champion. In his prime, Durant could score anywhere. Yet, injuries cut him down forcing him to be on the sidelines.

Still, Mase believes nobody should question KD’s greatness. He concluded by saying, “There’s gotta be certain people. When we talk about Biggie and Tupac, there’s certain people you got to start leaving out of certain conversations and KD is one of those people, man. He’s done too much to be talked about in that way.”

Therefore, we as fans would want to take our popcorn and wait for the saga to continue. Sometimes it all becomes a friendly banter while at times, it gets serious. Decide what you think of this issue and let us know in the comments.