Kevin Durant’s Latest Social Media Controversy, This Time Involving the Warriors, Is Both Strange and Wrong

Kevin Durant is stirring it up on social media again. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Easymoneysniper has logged on. Again.

Kevin Durant’s social media moniker is nearly as well-known as the name across the back of his jersey at this point. The longtime NBA superstar is notorious for expressing his unfiltered opinions on Twitter and Instagram without much care for the consequences—or the optics of being a millionaire who regularly engages with random internet users. More power to him, is what I say; how he spends his free time is of no harm or consequence to the general public.

It is undeniable, however, that Durant’s preference for spending that time in the full view of the online public eye can get him into ... unnecessary controversies. Which is exactly what happened this week.

The situation is centered around the new superteam in Philadelphia, formed when LeBron James opted to sign with the 76ers. The resulting starting lineup is loaded, featuring two former MVPs, a Finals MVP and 28-point-per-game scorer Tyrese Maxey. There are still big questions to be answered surrounding Joel Embiid’s availability, how much James has left in the tank and everybody’s ability to coalesce quickly enough to compete for a championship this season. But there’s no denying it’s a ridiculous collection of talent the likes of which we rarely see in NBA history.

It’s such a great assortment of players that, before even taking the floor, the Sixers are being compared to the dynasty Warriors that trotted out four future Hall of Fame players in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and KD. Comparison is the thief of joy and all that, but it is exactly the sort of conversation NBA fans hold each summer in an effort to make the time until the regular season begins pass as quickly as possible.

Durant opted to chime in on the conversation Monday. In the process, he sparked a needless feud with his own former teammates—and came down on the wrong side of the conversation.

Durant took a strange shot at his former Warriors teammates while arguing about new-look 76ers

Kevin Durant won two championships alongside Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson with the Warriors. | USA TODAY Sports

Durant initially weighed in on the new 76ers roster over the weekend and compared them to the Warriors team he joined in 2016.

“The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on,” he said, per ESPN’s Ben Golliver. “They have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they're going to be a contender. They're going to be a fun team to watch. It's going to be League Pass-worthy.”

His comparison to Golden State, as well as his proclamation that Philadelphia should be viewed as a contender, was used as a debate topic on the “E-Lab” podcast. A clip of the podcast was posted on Instagram, where Durant appeared in the comments to defend his stance that the Sixers will contend for a title. One of the podcast hosts, Tevin J. Payne, responded to state Philly was talented but they “ain’t even close” to the level of the Warriors team that KD infamously joined after they eliminated him from the playoffs and lost in the NBA Finals to James’s Cavaliers in 2016.

Which leads us to the comment that sparked off the latest Durant controversy.

“Ain’t close lmao,” he responded dryly. “Joel [Embiid], mvp recently. Jaylen Brown, recent finals mvp. Tyrese Maxey, all star the last 3 years. We all know what [LeBron] does. Klay Thompson, never an mvp candidate in nothing, 22ppg. Draymond [Green], 14ppg 7 rebounds 6 assist, Steph [Curry] a mvp just like Joel was. I don’t get how the warriors team is better on paper.”

It’s not Durant’s opinion that caused issue—it was the shots he took at Thompson and Green as part of his reasoning. There was no reason to talk down the résumés of two former teammates (who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame) in order to make his point. Yet Durant opted to do so anyway. It was a strange decision and one Thompson definitely didn’t appreciate.

“Aye man u good?” Thompson posted on his own Instagram with a screenshot of Durant’s comment. “What u using my full government [name] for??”

"Aye man u good?"

Klay Thompson clapped back at Kevin Durant on his IG story for saying that he was "never an MVP candidate in nothing" 😳

(via @KlayThompson) pic.twitter.com/5opS8HNJxQ

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 4, 2026

Green took it a bit more lightly, posting on Threads, “Slim thought he was on his burner?” with a series of laughing emojis. He also went on his podcast to explain Durant values scoring above all else (much like the advertisement-turned-movie character Uncle Drew, played by another Durant ex-teammate, Kyrie Irving) and so his opinion might make sense through that lens, but Green didn’t agree with it.

Durant is wrong on top of it all

To make matters worse, Durant is wrong in proclaiming the 2015–16 Warriors to be less talented on paper than the 2026–27 76ers.

His argument seems to hinge on how many points per game the new Sixers starting lineup will feature. But there are other numbers at play. Such as the fact that the Warriors won 73 games the year before he came aboard. It doesn’t matter how many points the starting lineup scored if they set an NBA record for most wins in a season. Nor does that have anything to do with individual accolades like MVP consideration. That’s an on-paper stat that cannot be ignored and shows Golden State was the best team in the league, as well as one of the best ever.

Furthermore, from a pure talent perspective, Curry was better 10 years ago than anybody currently on the 76ers. In 2016 he was, at worst, the third-best player in the NBA behind James and KD himself. By MVP standards (by which Durant is apparently operating) he was the best player in basketball, coming off the first unanimous MVP victory in league history. Which is a key part of this conversation. Philadelphia has thrown together a group of elite players—but not one can claim to be the best player in the NBA. Or even one of the three best.

By MVP voting, Brown is closest after finishing sixth last year. That’s a huge difference, particularly in basketball, where the team with the best player wins the day more often than not against opponents that might have better aggregate “talent” but not a top player.

The Sixers are indeed loaded on paper with two All-NBA players in their primes, LeBron freaking James and one of the most skilled big men ever. But those Warriors teams had three All-NBA caliber players, including the best shooter of all time who was also, at worst, a top-three superstar at the time, all firmly in their primes.

Durant isn’t making a ridiculous argument, to be clear. But it’s not one he was ever going to win in the court of public opinion given his history with Golden State. And there was no reason to snipe at his former teammates to make his point.

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