While the Paris Olympics is long gone, it seems like the Kevin Durant–Dennis Schroder beef is only getting started. It all began with Schroder’s comment after the bronze medal game, which KD believed was undermining the brand of basketball in the US, “European basketball is no entertainment, it’s straight IQ basketball.” In a fitting reply, the Slim Reaper posted an image of Team USA with their Gold medals and wrote, “ENTERTAINMENT & IQ.” Soon after, the German clapped back by calling KD “weak” on a live stream. As the two NBA stars continue to go back and forth, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson are taken aback by the whole ordeal.

Chad surprisingly defended Kevin Durant in the argument, “I don’t see it as weak.” Just because the NBA is highly entertaining does not mean that it lacks high-IQ players. And stars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant are prime examples. So, Johnson believed Schroder should have kept his opinion to himself, “A comment like that is unnecessary.” He then warned the German star, “When you say something publicly, you have to be willing to take the criticism that comes with it.”

Even Shannon shared the sentiment and said, “I’m surprised more guys didn’t respond.” Although Schroder stated on the live stream that he did not have any negative intentions behind the comment and was just revealing the difference he has witnessed in his own experience, Kevin Durant had all the right to defend the league he has been a part of for 17 years. “You’re entitled to your opinion, but you can’t be upset if somebody gives you their opinion back,” Shannon added.

Moreover, the NFL legend questioned Schroder’s theory with a harsh reality check on Nightcap, “If LeBron and KD and Steph had been playing together like Schroder and those guys, or like the Serbian team, or like the French National team, had they been playing together for years, y’all never beat them.” Unlike most national teams who have been playing together for decades, Team USA only began practicing together a month before the Paris event. Yet, they were able to conquer the world with ease. Surely, they could not have done it without some high basketball IQ in the locker room.

The purpose of pro sports and Schroder’s questionable IQ move

As the two NFL legends defended Kevin Durant, Shannon Sharpe raised a huge rhetorical question to counter Dennis Schroder’s argument, “What is pro sports?” Not missing a beat, he replied, “ENTERTAINMENT!” Although there is personal glory and team pride involved in each sport, the primary purpose of any pro sports league is to generate profits. And the NBA is no different. From the new $76 billion media rights deal to the idea of expanding the league, it is all to make the business bigger and eventually profitable. “The more entertaining you are, guess what? The more money you make,” Johnson remarked.

Adding more weight to his point, Shannon reminded the world of the great San Antonio Spurs dynasty. As great as the Tim Duncan era was for the franchise, Shannon claimed their style of basketball was “boring as hell.” Maybe that’s why Duncan is hardly ever considered in the GOAT conversation, even though he retired as a 5-time Champion.

Yes, everyone knows that he was a great player and maybe the best to ever do it at his position, but he surely lacked the entertainment factor, which eventually led to fans not being interested. Meanwhile, players like Bron and Steph have been the face of the league for years not only because are they two of the greatest players, but they are also highly entertaining and fans love that.

Moreover, Shannon dug deeper and questioned Schroder’s IQ which he takes so much pride in. “People gonna say how much IQ you got? You turned down $80 million to sign for $5 million a year.” Obviously, the NFL legend was referring to Schroder rejecting the Lakers’ reported 4-year $84 million offer a few years back as he expected to get a bigger deal after waiting till the end of the playoffs.

However, the risk backfired as the German guard failed miserably during the postseason and saw an instant decline in his market value. As a result, the massive contract was off the table forever and he was forced to sign a $5.8 million deal with the Boston Celtics. Sure enough, Schroder has not been able to up his market value to that level ever since. Even Schroder publicly accepted his mistake on his birthday 3 years ago as he wrote on Instagram, “I’m gonna do this ONE time! Insert your best “fumbled the bag” joke here.”

Although many players would want to play the game that they love with no outside distractions based on pure skill and IQ, entertainment is undeniably a huge part of the pro sports industry. And the NBA has done an amazing job of maintaining a balance between both worlds. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger