GETTY Kevin Durant
If you come for Kevin Durant, in any way, just know, he’s probably not going to let it slide, and when he responds, it will be as lethal as his offensive game.
Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen offered some criticism for Durant during a recent interview with Tyler Tynes of GQ.
Pippen Says, KD Has Not Surpassed LeBron
A candid Pippen shared his raw takes on the Bulls dynasty, and he talked about the current NBA playoffs including his breakdown of what went wrong for Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.
Pippen said:
It’s not an individual game, you can’t go into basketball and beat nobody with an individual record. And I used this example of what happened to Kevin Durant just the other day: this is the first time we’ve ever really seen Kevin Durant have to be the man and bring the team home. We ain’t never really had to see that because he’s had [Russell] Westbrook, Steph Curry, Klay [Thompson]. He’s been beating people, definitely in Golden State, by committee. With a team. He did that, but that team already knew how to win without KD. But you put KD in Brooklyn, and Kyrie [Irving] gets hurt and James Harden ain’t that guy, now KD not only has to score for them but also make plays for them. And this is no knock to KD, but they asked me, “Has he surpassed LeBron James?” And my answer was: LeBron James knows team basketball better than KD. KD can score better than LeBron, probably always have been able to. But has he surpassed LeBron? Naw. He tried to beat the Milwaukee Bucks instead of utilizing his team. You see what I’m saying? LeBron James would’ve figured out how to beat them and he wouldn’t have been exhausted and he may not have taken the last shot. But LeBron ain’t KD, and KD ain’t LeBron. KD is a shooter, a scorer. But he doesn’t have what LeBron has.
There was more, but you probably get the gist of the pro-LeBron comparison tone. Apparently, Durant got it as well. Durant reached deep in the crates to pull out a reference that shined a light on one of the most controversial moments of Pippen’s Hall-of-Fame career.
KD Comes For Scottie Pippen With 2 Vicious Tweets
In a response to Mr.Teabagzzzz’s tweet which had Pippen’s comments box-quoted, Durant unleashed a barrage of receipts:
“Didn’t the great Scottie Pippen refuse to go in the game for the last-second shot because he was in his feelings his coach drew up the play for a better shooter??”
@mrteabagzzzz Didn’t the great Scottie pippen refuse to go in the game for the last second shot because he was in his feelings his coach drew up the play for a better shooter??
Durant is referring to the infamous 1.8 seconds play when Pippen refused to go in for the final play of a postseason game against the New York Knicks in 1994. It was the year Michael Jordan retired and Bulls coach called the play for Toni Kukoc and originally had Pippen inbounding the ball.
Pippen wasn’t having it, and refused to go into the game. He’s never lived it down, and in the same GQ interview, he called Jackson’s decision racially motivated.
Durant had more ammunition. He also tweeted:
This guy Scott also wanted to enjoy his summer so he chose to rehab during the season lol yo @ScottiePippen THEY FOLLOWED PHIL, NOT YOU!!!
@OnlyFacts1234 @mrteabagzzzz @ScottiePippen This guy Scott also wanted to enjoy his summer so he chose to rehab during the season lol yo @ScottiePippen THEY FOLLOWED PHIL, NOT YOU!!!
Well then, someone watched The Last Dance,
We’re in an era where barbershop conversation often spills into the media, and as a sports fan, you have to love every minute of it. As long as the two men can still meet and be cordial, no harm, no foul.
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