Longhorns Country

Kevin Durant Calls Out Former Texas Longhorns LB

Kevin Durant had some words for a former Texas Longhorns linebacker on social media.
Zach Dimmitt|
Jan 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Jan 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) stands on the court before the start of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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Texas Longhorns

Former Texas Longhorns star Kevin Durant has never been a stranger to speaking his mind on social media, something that's caused him to go viral from time to time. He's done it once again, this time by calling out a fellow Longhorn.

Durant took to X to react to comments made by former Texas linebacker Emmanuel Acho, who said recently on FS1 that the Boston Celtics matched up better against the New York Knicks after the loss of Celtics star Jayson Tatum to an Achilles injury.

Durant called Acho a "hot take artist" that needs to "stay in his lane" due to Acho being a former football player and not a basketball star.

Emmanuel Acho
Sept 4, 2010; Houston, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive end Sam Acho (81) and linebacker Emmanuel Acho (18) celebrate a victory against the Rice Owls at Reliant Stadium. Texas defeated Rice 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"Hot take artist have ruined the sport," Durant wrote on X. "Football guys, no disrespect but yall boys need to stay In ya lanes, u don’t know what it’s like it between these lines man give it a break. Dudes who quit football early to pursue media talkin mental toughness, cut it out."

After Tatum suffered the injury with the Celtics down 3-1, Boston won Game 5 without him, leading to Acho's take. The Celtics were unable to keep momentum rolling and were blown out in Game 6.

Acho then responded to Durant on FS1. Take a look:

Durant has made it clear as recently as this season that he still has tons of love for the Texas Longhorns but wanted to make it known he didn't agree with Acho.

This past season when meeting with the media at the Moody Center for the Phoenix Suns' matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, Durant spoke highly of Tre Johnson, who will be headed to the league next season as a no-doubt first-round pick.

"He's conducting himself like a pro already," Durant said. "You could tell when I was at practice yesterday, just his work habits already at that level of focus that it needs to be at in order for you to be a great player for a long time. So just keep doing what he's doing, and he's gonna learn more about the game with more experience."

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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