Stephen A. Smith to Kevin Durant: Don’t make an enemy out of me
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported that Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant was contemplating leaving and testing free agency waters at the end of his contract. Durant refuted the claim which Smith continued to defend. The First Take analyst took the the airwaves on Monday to call out Durant and said, “You don't want to make an enemy out of me.”
Here are excerpts from Smith’s comments on First Take:
“Kevin Durant is the one that’s lying. I have interviewed Kevin Durant. His rookie year, I interviewed him in his home in Seattle. I interviewed him years ago, when we were in Orlando for SportsCenter. I have talked to him on several occasions literally within the last year where we’ve run across one another at an arena. Or one time we saw each other at 40/40 because obviously he’s being repped by Roc Nation right now – whatever the case may be – no reporting that went on in that regard, just pleasantries and things of this nature. That statement that he came out with, that was a surprise to me because I had no idea he had any kind of problem with me whatsoever. I wasn’t aware of it, so it was news to me."
“I sit here today incredibly offended by the personal attack that this man has put against me. Even in the midst of all that, let me tell you, Skip Bayless, Kevin Durant is a good dude. His family is wonderful. He's wonderful. There’s nothing negative that I have to say about this person as a human being. I am addressing what he said about me. I am not attacking Kevin Durant.”
“You don’t want to make an enemy out of me...And I’m looking right into the camera. And I'm gonna say it again. You do not want to make an enemy out of me. I’m not having it. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
• DEITSCH: Jason Whitlock, ESPN part ways following website demotion
Watch Smith call out Durant below:
[youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjS70gwD850]
Smith took to Twitter to defend his comments and say he would further clarify things on his own radio show.
- Christopher Chavez
