Sports
Suns’ Kevin Durant, tired of leadership criticism, calls ESPN star ‘a clown to me’
PHOENIX — Mike Budenholzer was recently asked about Kevin Durant’s leadership over the past month. The first-year Phoenix Suns coach didn’t hold back. He said Durant has been “off the charts.” He praised Durant’s actions. He praised his voice. And he said the veteran forward has set the tone for the Phoenix organization.
After Saturday night’s 103-97 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, which increased the Suns’ record to 5-1, Durant was asked for his reaction to Budenholzer’s comments.
First, Durant wanted to know something: “Why’d you ask him that?” he said.
Durant’s leadership is not a new NBA topic, but during an Oct. 24 episode of “First Take,” ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith used it as a reason to argue against the Suns as a serious contender. The popular basketball analyst praised Durant’s greatness and commitment, but he questioned the 14-time All-Star’s leadership and ability to inspire teammates.
After “First Take” posted the segment on social media, Durant responded on X, telling Smith that he respectfully disagreed and that he would argue “passionately” that his intangibles have always been on par with his talent.
In the Phoenix locker room Saturday night, after several teammates had already left Footprint Center, Durant spoke more forcefully.
“Yeah, Stephen A., I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A.,” he told The Athletic. “I’ve been in the league for 18 years. I’ve never seen Stephen A. at a practice, or a film session, or a shoot-around. I’ve never seen him anywhere but on TV talking s— about players. … He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too.”
I would disagree stephen. I would argue, passionately, that my intangibles have always been on par with my talent
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) October 24, 2024
Smith, who has worked for more than three decades as an NBA and general sports columnist and multimedia personality, is not the first to question Durant’s leadership. Perhaps the sport’s most influential voice, Charles Barkley called Durant a “follower” during last season’s NBA All-Star weekend. If it’s not a sensitive topic for Durant, it’s an irritating one.
Durant doesn’t claim to be a perfect basketball player — “Of course, I got things I need to work on,” he said — but he said when people try to find something to criticize about his game, they often settle on leadership, “stuff that’s, like, so vague and subjective.”
For much of his nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he was widely considered a leader of a rising team. At the end of each season, The Oklahoman published report cards on each player. Durant often got As in efficiency, defensive rebounding — and leadership. A headline about him in the Charlotte Observer once read: “Thunder star provides leadership to a team in transition but with expectations.”
Since leaving Oklahoma City in 2016, Durant has played for Golden State, where he won two titles, Brooklyn and Phoenix. And often, even while climbing to eighth on the NBA’s career scoring list, his leadership skills come up, especially when his teams fail to reach expectations.
In a recent phone interview, former Suns assistant coach Kevin Young said leadership comes in different forms. During his four seasons with the Suns, point guard Chris Paul led more with his voice, while Durant did so with his work habits. Young said there’s no secret sauce for Durant. He shows up every day and works hard. Then he shows up the next day and does the same thing. And the next day.
“But make no mistake about it, Kev speaks up in film sessions,” said Young, now the head coach at BYU. “Kev wants to win. He’s probably more vocal behind the scenes than I think people realize. At least he was in my experience.”
With Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns last season were expected to contend. Instead, they won 49 games and were swept in the postseason’s first round. The Athletic reported after the season that Durant was not always happy with how he was used in the offense, but that he also may not have adamantly voiced those concerns with the coaching staff. In May, owner Mat Ishbia and the front office fired then-coach Frank Vogel and later hired Budenholzer, setting the organization on a new path.
Durant, of course, remained a centerpiece.
“We’re kind of through the camp phase of life, but how hard he went in camp, the drills and the different things,” Budenholzer said last week of Durant. “He set the tone for us as an organization, for us as a team. And it’s not just been by leadership. It’s been his voice. He’s put his arms around young players. He’s put his arm around veterans. He’s put his arm around me. It’s something that’s important to us. I don’t know if he likes it or knows it, but I’m going to keep pushing him to be his best, in all ways, including as a leader.”
Asked if he’s tried to be more vocal this season, Durant, 36, said he’s been the “same dude.”
“Obviously, you grow as a human being, you get more comfortable with yourself, you get more comfortable talking to crowds as you experience more and more in the league,” he said in the locker room. “… I’ve always been on this trajectory, of diving deep into the game, not just for myself but for the whole team. To say that I’m just sitting here, you paint this picture of me coming into the locker room, not talking to my teammates, quiet, not talking to my coaches. Like, come on, man. It’s just ridiculous.”
Conversations with teammates about Durant’s leadership almost always start with his work ethic. It’s not so much the time that Durant puts in as the intensity and focus with which he attacks each session. Booker said the pace of Durant’s workouts is second to none.
“It’s contagious,” point guard Tyus Jones said. “He’s an all-time great. You see him showing up, going 110 percent each and every day, working on his craft. Even in Year 18, he’s still looking for ways to get better. He’s still pushing himself to get better. How do you not do the same?”
“He’s an all-time great. … Even in Year 18, he’s still looking for ways to get better,” teammate Tyus Jones says of Kevin Durant. “How do you not do the same?” (Harry How / Getty Images)
Reserve point guard Monte Morris played five seasons in Denver with star big man Nikola Jokić. He said Jokić would encourage him to make plays, and he said Durant has had a similar message here. Beal said Durant’s encouragement has helped rookie Ryan Dunn get off to such a solid start.
“A lot of times you’re in your mindset, you’re in ‘kill mode,’ and you want everybody else to follow suit,” Beal said. “But that encouragement that he gives and that confidence he gives Ryan, that goes a long way. That’s a reason why guys step up and play the way they do, when you have guys like (Durant) backing you up.”
“Everybody has their ways of getting into other people,” forward Josh Okogie said. “Some people are ‘rah-rah’ guys. We don’t have a lot of ‘rah-rah’ guys in here. We have guys who are all about results. You either do it or you don’t, and Kevin is a good guy who makes sure everybody is held accountable.”
For Durant, it’s a tired topic, and one that’s not likely to go away. But he’s happy about one thing.
“I’m glad my coaches and teammates got my back,” he said.
GO DEEPER
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(Top photo of Kevin Durant after Saturday’s win over the Trail Blazers: Kate Frese / NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND — Blow it up. Blow it all up. Set fire to the wreckage, tip it into Lake Erie and let it float to Pelee Island or Buffalo or any point in between. The NFL’s most expensive roster belongs next to the other famous shipwrecks at the bottom, only accessible with flippers and oxygen tanks.
Trade Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson and Jed Wills. Cold call contenders searching for a backup quarterback and send them Jameis Winston for market value (it won’t be much). Elijah Moore can go with him.
I’m not sure anyone here is ready to have the Nick Chubb conversation, but I also don’t believe he’d return much in value anyway.
The larger point is any player who isn’t under contract beyond this season is free to go because this thing is going to get so corrosive by January that no one will survive.
GO DEEPER
Browns snap back to reality after being outclassed by Chargers from start to finish
The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday. This roster should look much different by Wednesday when general manager Andrew Berry has what is sure to be an awkward conversation with reporters over the bye week.
This is about to be the Cleveland Browns’ version of a Presidents Day mattress sale. Buy now, pay later. Zero percent financing with approved credit.
A few players left the locker room after Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers with that zombie stare, unsure of how they got here or what happens next.
“I’ve never been in this situation,” one veteran said on his way out of the locker room. “I’ve never been in a spot where the season is over before the bye week.”
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There is never a bad time for a week off in the NFL, but the Browns enter their time off needing to get away from each other and cleanse. Exfoliate. Maybe get a nice foot scrub.
The Browns have invested $337 million in cash spending on this roster, $15 million more than any other team in the league. It’s not only the most expensive roster, it’s the most expensive roster in NFL history.
They have two wins.
They blew up an offense and an offensive coaching staff that fought through incredible injuries and adversity last year to reach the playoffs.
They have two wins.
Firing Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator was clearly a huge mistake. It may have cost them Bill Callahan, too. The design and installation of whatever this is has been a disaster.
The Deshaun Watson trade wrecked the franchise. There’s no other way to frame it. At the time of the deal, off-field baggage aside, Watson appeared to be the better quarterback. But it hasn’t worked out that way. The money they’ve paid him, the future cap hits still looming, the trade capital they sent to Houston and Watson’s inability to perform and stay healthy have slammed shut a contention window that barely ever opened.
GO DEEPER
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The Browns tanked for two full seasons in 2016 and 2017 to win one playoff game in the seven years that followed. And now it’s over.
Joel Bitonio has a year left on his contract but just turned 33. Why would he want to return to this? Myles Garrett has two years left. At what point does he walk upstairs and ask out?
Chubb is in the last year of his deal. How much does he honestly have left? How much patience does he have left for an organization that squandered the career of one of the best running backs in team history?
The entire offensive line might need to be rebuilt. Those who will be shipped off by Tuesday will need to be replaced.
And all of it must be done despite Watson’s strangling cap hits, which still total more than $170 million. If there is a worse combination of roster forecast and future cap sheets anywhere in sports, I can’t find it.
Winston threw interceptions to all corners of the field Sunday, the secondary can’t do simple things like communicate coverages properly, and the special teams are a special disaster. Blocked kicks allowed. Big returns surrendered.
Jameis Winston today
16-31
0 Pass TD
3 INT
24.5 Pass Rating pic.twitter.com/ytYWdg8XgX— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 3, 2024
The Browns were leaning toward Dorian Thompson-Robinson a few weeks ago. His promotion from scout-team quarterback to backup — even though no one bothered to tell him — was supposed to be for more than one week. Then Thompson-Robinson hurt his finger and the Browns probably figured they owed it to the veterans to play Winston.
Well, there’s nothing left to play for now. Garrett said the Browns could still win out and go 10-7, which is the kind of thing leaders are supposed to say from the lectern. The season is over, and the players all know it.
This was so close to being the most Jameis Winston play of all-time pic.twitter.com/YopGOhepmh
— Football Digest (@FoootballDigest) November 3, 2024
Thompson-Robinson likely isn’t the answer. He’s too small and can’t stay healthy. But coming out of the bye week, whether Winston is still here or not, is the perfect time to start him on the road against an equally lousy New Orleans Saints roster.
Either DTR surprises everyone, or more likely, the Browns will be bad enough to draft another quarterback in March and start this miserable process all over again.
As for the fate of the front office and coaching staff, anything is possible at this point. Nobody is safe. I thought last year tested the mettle of Kevin Stefanski and his ability to hold the team together through a storm of injuries. He thrived in the moment. This is a completely different challenge. Guys have nothing left to play for except their tape and next contract.
GO DEEPER
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As the defense was introduced individually before the game, Smith jogged out of the tunnel in his No. 99 jersey blowing kisses to the crowd. If this was his last day in a Browns uniform, that was his goodbye.
Who else will join him?
(Photo of Jameis Winston: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will reportedly be sidelined indefinitely after he missed Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with an undisclosed illness.
Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson took over for Popovich on the bench. He said at the time he was informed about two and a half hours before tipoff that the legendary coach was going to miss the game.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reacts after a call by an official during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
“He’s not feeling well,” Johnson said Saturday night. “This has happened before. I think everybody’s just always got to be ready for the next man up. We’ve had it with injuries and sometimes people get sick or don’t feel well or things come up in life. He’s just not feeling well.”
ESPN reported Monday that Popovich will be sidelined for a while. The team told the outlet that Popovich did not travel with the team for road games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets.
Popovich, 75, is the NBA’s career leader in wins with 1,390 victories. He is in his 29th season with the Spurs and has five NBA championships on his resume.
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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gives instructions to his players during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
The Spurs won the game Saturday with Johnson guiding the team.
Keldon Johnson scored 25 points, and Chris Paul had 15 points and 13 assists.
“Mitch did a great job, man,” Paul said, via ESPN. “I think our whole coaching staff [did]. Things happen within this league all the time and just like with the players, it’s next man. So, shoutout to Mitch; he did a great job tonight.”
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, left, has a word with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
The Spurs are 3-3 to start the year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Steve Garvey is on the ballot Tuesday — and again next month.
On the Election Day ballot: Garvey, the longtime Dodgers star, against Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) for a U.S. Senate seat representing California.
Garvey is expected to lose handily. He spent one of the final days of the campaign attending the Dodgers’ World Series championship celebration.
However, Garvey will be up for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in December.
The Hall announced Monday that Garvey and former Dodgers teammate Tommy John are two of eight candidates selected for this year’s Classic Baseball Era ballot.
Candidates must get 75% of the vote from a committee appointed by the Hall, with any winners announced Dec. 8 and inducted into Cooperstown next July. The Baseball Writers Association of America votes on more recently retired players; those results will be announced in January and any winners also would be inducted next July.
Joining Garvey and John on the committee ballot: Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Dave Parker, Luis Tiant and Negro League standouts John Donaldson and Vic Harris.
The Hall affords a second chance to players not elected in BBWAA voting, with committees evaluating players based on the era in which they made their greatest contribution.
The Classic Baseball committee considers players that starred primarily before 1980. The Contemporary Baseball committee considers players that starred primarily after 1980, such as Fernando Valenzuela. That committee next makes its selections in 2025.
The committee last met in 2023 to consider this ballot: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Albert Belle, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling. The committee that year was comprised largely of Hall of Famers and executives of major league teams.
Bonds, the only seven-time most valuable player in major league history, and Clemens, the only seven-time Cy Young winner, both were linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The only player elected by that committee: McGriff.
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