Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant and FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho engaged in a heated back-and-forth exchange on X on May 15.
The exchange began when Durant responded to Acho’s comments about the Celtics on “The Facility,” a debate show on FS1. Acho argued that the Celtics were “a tougher” team when they played through Jaylen Brown instead of Jayson Tatum.
Durant would respond emphatically, questioning Acho’s basketball acumen.
“Hot take artist have ruined the sport,” Durant wrote.
“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.”
Emmanuel Acho Responds to Kevin Durant
In response, the former NFL player stood by his take, arguing that it wasn’t “a hot take” to suggest that Brown was a more mentally-tough player than Tatum.
Acho also took a subtle jab at Durant, suggesting that he never had to deal with the amount of physicality he did while taking on legendary RB Adrian Peterson in the open field.
“It’s not a hot take to suggest that JB plays a tougher brand of ball than JT,” Acho responded.
“You’re right, I don’t know what it’s like between the lines, and you don’t know what it’s like to take on Adrian Peterson in the open field. That doesn’t nullify your ability to speak on toughness.”
Acho also went ahead and questioned Durant’s leadership in the NBA.
“I also believe you object to my take b/c you fundamentally disagree with the reality that a team reflects the demeanor of the best player (which you often are),” he wrote.
“You’ve historically denied the role of leadership because if you acknowledged it’s factor, you’d have to honor it.”
Kevin Durant Never Backs Down
Durant has never shied away from heated exchanges on X, whether with an analyst, former player, or fan. At the start of the 2015 NBA playoffs, Durant ripped a fan for calling him “the most overrated athlete of the past 30 years.”
The sharpshooting forward received a lot of criticism for his failure to guide the Suns to the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs. It is widely believed that the Suns will trade Durant during the 2025 offseason, with teams such as the Rockets, Timberwolves and Spurs earmarked as the most aggressive suitors.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has also suggested that Durant could return to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the franchise that drafted him in 2007.
“Know what I would do if you Oklahoma City?” Smith asked on February 20.
“I know he left Oklahoma City, just like he left Golden State, actually a little bit worse than that, because he was up 3-1 in the Western Conference, lost to the Golden State Warriors, and then joined them a month later. I get all that, but that was a long time ago, bygones be bygones.
“Who has more assets to offer than the Oklahoma City Thunder? If I’m Phoenix, I reach out to Oklahoma City to try to get some of those assets this summer.”
Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 blocks in his 17th season in the NBA.
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