"MJ retired 3 times and still the goat" - Kevin Durant claps back at Michael Jordan fan for dubbing him LeBron James' 'puppet' in viral Twitter spat

Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant went back and forth with a fan of NBA legend Michael Jordan. The interaction between the fan and the two-time NBA champion on X started when the fan reacted to Durant's comments in a recent episode of the "Mind the Game" podcast.

Durant's appearance at the podcast hosted by LA Lakers star LeBron James and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash was uploaded in two parts. The first part was posted on July 1, and the second on Tuesday.

Durant said that there is work to do to become a great basketball player, while taking a funny jab at Jordan. The Chicago Bulls legend retired from basketball three times: first in 1993 to pursue baseball, next in 1999 following the Bulls' second three-peat and finally in 2003 after two seasons with the Washington Wizards.

The fan called Durant a "puppet" of James and defended Jordan.

"I am going to keep calling you out for being a puppet on Bron’s podcast. This man went and teamed up with Wade and Bosh, costing you of a real championship because of his WEAK move. Which led you to make your own weak decision by joining a stacked Warriors team. Wake up my guy, Bron is not your friend. He ruined the NBA and ruined your career.

"Why go on his podcast and make his dreams come true by slandering Mike? Slandering a man for leaving the game to fulfill his murder dad’s dreams for him is WILD. Second time he left because he was loyal to his team and coach. Something you and Bron can NEVER understand."

Durant responded:

"MJ retired 3 times. It’s okay to call that out my brother, I got 1 million dollars worth of MJ shoes in my house hahaha. It’s okay, he retired 3 times and still the GOAT. Ima applaud that just like Ima applaud playing 22 years at an ELITE level. I like basketball tho, you love individuals more."

Throughout Durant's 17-year career, he has been labeled as among the best players in the league. He is particularly regarded for his scoring prowess. At 6-foot-11, he is a four-time scoring champion and one of eight players in history with over 30,000 career points.

Kevin Durant has career averages of 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists on 50.2% shooting, including 39.0% from 3-point range.

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Kevin Durant is set to join a stacked Rockets team

Kevin Durant's trade to the Houston Rockets became official on Sunday after first being reported last month.

The deal was the largest in league history and involved seven teams and 13 players. Houston gave up Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, rights to 2025 No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach, along with several draft picks, to acquire both Durant and Clint Capela.

Kevin Durant joins a Rockets team that won 52 games last season and was the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. They were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, but pushed the Golden State Warriors to seven games. In the acquisition of Durant, Houston was able to keep majority of its core led by All-Star center Alperen Sengun.

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone indicated on Monday that the team is in a "win-now" mode and liked their chances even more with Kevin Durant on board.