"Damn steve, Got ya a**" - Kevin Durant calls out Stephen A. Smith on social media for false reporting

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets just called out Stephen A. Smith, identifying his source for information as the “Ballsack Sports” – after Smith quoted one of their reports on the feud between Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

The Brooklyn Nets were part of one of the most unexpected trades this season, which saw James Harden move to the Philadelphia 76ers. While there was a lot of speculation around the reason for the trade request, Harden chose to stay out of the details by saying he always wanted to be in Philadelphia.

Kevin Durant did not hesitate to look into the report and call out NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith by quoting a tweet from Ballsack Sports:

“Damn steve. Got ya a**”

Smith’s comments came out of a discussion between him and Magic Johnson, breaking down what Harden needs to do for the 76ers this season. While the consensus was that Harden has a lot to prove in the upcoming playoffs, Stephen A. Smith responded:

“Especially when Kyrie looked him in the face – ‘according to reports’ – and told him he’s washed up. He said that to him, that’s part of the reason they had a falling out.”

The report cited a comment from an unnamed Brooklyn Nets executive, explaining what the tension between James Harden and Kyrie Irving was. The comment, which could very well be fake, went like this:

“Kyrie beat James Harden 1-on-1 almost everyday in practice, and Kyrie was barely even in basketball shape. It demoralized Harden. Things reached the breaking point came when Kyrie called Harden “washed” after completely locking him up in one scrimmage. An assistant had to break up the two as tempers flared, and the relationship spiraled downhill from there.”

It is uncommon for an NBA analyst to cite unknown sources, which is probably why Kevin Durant felt he needed to call out Stephen A. Smith. Whether true or not, that can only be confirmed by those who were involved in the incident. But both James Harden and Kyrie Irving are unlikely to pay heed to such comments, with their teams approaching the playoffs.

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Kevin Durant will look to rise out of this undesirable situation

The Brooklyn Nets (40-38) are tenth in the league right now, after their strong start to the season was hampered due to a list of reasons. Kevin Durant’s injury, Kyrie Irving’s part-time role and James Harden seeking an exit – were all contributors to the Nets’ current position, forcing them into the Play-In tournament.

The Nets have four games left in the regular season, facing rather easy opponents - the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. However, defense has been an issue, which was highlighted in their previous fixture against the Hawks.

The road ahead is not easy for the Nets, as they will try and get into a better position even for the Play-In tournament. But with firepower like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets are still a dominant force, until proven otherwise.

Kevin Durant has averaged 32.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and seven assists since his return to action. Over the span of these 15 games, the Nets have gone 8-7, keeping themselves within contention, but being able to slow down offenses will be crucial with elimination looming.