Update 02/07/2022 4:00pm:

Kevin Durant recently went back and forth with Stephen A. Smith after the latter called out KD for leaving Steph Curry to go play with Kyrie Irving. Since then, KD has responded to Smith once more, calling him a “flat-out hater.”

Stephen A. Smith has responded to Durant since then, saying “Okay. Stop the b.s. Religiously I’ve been on the record calling you the best in the WORLD. This is not about your game and you know it. We all know you’re great and you’re a champion. We will celebrate that forever when you’re DONE playing.” He continued saying “But right now, YOU ARE PLAYING. Chapters are still being written. You’re measured by what’s taking place in the moment.” Take a look above.

Original 02/04/2022 4:33pm:

The world may never know exactly what Kevin Durant is thinking. The two-time NBA finals MVP is far too unpredictable. But what is known for sure is that whenever he leaves one team for another, via free agency, the ripple effects are felt far and wide. And for whatever reason, those vibrations always seem to resonate with Stephen A. Smith the most.

During a segment of NBA Today, the network's highest-paid on-air personality dropped a hot take in regards to Kevin Durant's lack of success with the Brooklyn Nets thus far and the way in which his legacy may hang in the balance if he fails to deliver a championship in wake of his latest free agency decision to join forces with Kyrie Irving.

"I've said this before, but I'm going to repeat it again: I said it months ago, but I'm dead serious about this," Stephen A. Smith said. "If these brothas do not win a championship, do you understand that Kevin Durant is on the verge for being recognized more so for the guy that left Steph Curry to go with Kyrie Irving, than he is for the two [championships] and two finals MVP?"

In response to the critique, Kevin Durant took to Twitter and used one of Stephen A. Smith's famous sayings against him. KD simply wrote, "Egregious."

To that, Stephen A. Smith tweeted a final clap back at Kevin Durant, before dropping the mic.

"It’s absolutely Egregious, @KDTrey5," Stephen A. Smith wrote. "Totally wrong and unfair to the highest degree. But it also happens to be true. Those will be the headlines all off-season. I’m not saying it’s fair at all because it’s not. You deserve better. But those will be the headlines. You can book it!”

The feud between Kevin Durant and Stephen A. Smiths dates all the way back to 2017 when the latter called out his nemesis for joining the 73-9 Warriors right after they eliminated his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, from the 2016 NBA Playoffs. Stephen A. Smith famously referred to Kevin Durant's free agency decision as, "The weakest move I've ever seen from an NBA superstar." The two men have been exchanging barbs, on the air and via social media, ever since. 

Scroll above to view Kevin Durant and Stephen A. Smith's Twitter exchange.

Source: COMPLEX