Stephen A. Smith has a message for Kevin Durant: "Shaq is one of the realest, most genuine dudes you will ever find."
Smith addressed KD during a segment of First Take on Monday, March 3, in which he addressed Durant summing Shaq's "whole life" up to feeling like he's somebody because he's won an NBA championship. The ESPN show host defended the Hall of Fame center against the remarks, referring to him as Shaq-A-Clause while recalling some of the charitable deeds he has been known for initiating outside of basketball.
At one point, Smith began citing situations in Shaq's past in which he also showed to be someone who had credibility in the streets counterbalancing his standing in sports and corporate America. He illustrated such a dynamic by recalling the big man coming to Kobe Bryant's defense after he upset the hood for having Shaq traded. "Do you know that when Shaq got traded...now we're getting insider, but, the street in me is coming out here because that's where I'm from, and I know cats. And let me be very, very, very clear and I'm dead serious when I say this. You have folks in Los Angeles, when Shaquille O'Neal got traded...I love be some Kobe, but brothers wanted to come for Kobe," said Smith. "They wanted this man. They wanted him bad. And they meant him harm. And it was Shaq that stepped in and said, nah, that ain't happening."
Source: youtube.com
