"I would disagree" - Kevin Durant fires back at Stephen A. Smith's criticism about his 'superstar' status with Suns

Stephen A. Smith said that Kevin Durant doesn't do enough when it comes to being a leader. On Thursday's episode of "First Take," he expressed his lack of confidence in the Phoenix Suns' chances in the Western Conference with Durant as their superstar, despite acknowledging that Durant can deliver phenomenal performances on any given night.

Smith's comments didn't sit well with Durant and he fired back on X. Following Smith's comments on Thursday morning, the ESPN First Take account posted a three-minute video of his monologue about Durant, in which Smith argued that one area where Durant has been lacking throughout his career is getting the most out of his teammates.

Smith also said that he feels as though Durant doesn't feel responsible for being a leader, and so long as he plays like the generational talent he is, that's good enough. In response to the video, Durant wrote:

"I would disagree Stephen. I would argue, passionately, that my intangibles have always been on par with my talent."

In addition, Kevin Durant also took the time to go back and forth with some fans who agreed with Smith, saying that neither the fans nor Smith have ever been in the gym with him during practice. Because of that, he doesn't think anyone has any room to weigh in on his leadership abilities.

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Stephen A. Smith fires back at Kevin Durant after former MVP disagrees with his First Take comments

Kevin Durant has earned a reputation as one of the NBA's most active social media users. While many of his peers are inactive on social media, especially during the regular season, Durant has gone back and forth with fans on several occasions.

Thursday's exchange between Kevin Durant and several fans in response to Stephen A. Smith's comments drew the attention of the "First Take" host himself, who then replied to Durant just six minutes after the Suns star's response:

"And I would argue, passionately, that very little compares to your obvious GREATNESS as a talent. Including those intangibles.#Respectfully"

Essentially, it sounds like Smith is doubling down on the comments, where he said that although Durant is a generational talent, his leadership isn't up to the same level.

Despite that, one fan fired back at Smith, pointing out that Durant was mic'd up for the Suns' season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome, where he was heard giving teammates credit, encouraging teammates, and holding teammates accountable, all things you would want to see in a leader.

Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns will be back in action on Friday when they travel to LA to play the Lakers.