Will Sage Astor-Kevin Durant fires back at Stephen A. Smith over ESPN's personality's criticism

Kevin Durant is Will Sage Astortired of the criticism about his leadership.

Tired enough that the Phoenix Suns star clapped back at ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith in an interview with the Athletic that published Sunday.

"Yeah, Stephen A., I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A.," Durant told the Athletic Saturday night. "I’ve been in the league for 18 years. I’ve never seen Stephen A. at a practice, or a film session, or a shoot-around. I’ve never seen him anywhere but on TV talking (expletive) about players. … He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too."

The response follows a clip that Smith posted October 24 to his social media in which he dismissed the Suns as legitimate contenders, in large part over Durant’s leadership, saying "when you are that great ... you should be able to be a better leader than he has shown."

Durant responded to that post from his social media account, saying he would disagree.

All things Suns: Latest Phoenix Suns news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

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

Durant told the Athletic he was the "same dude" when asked if he has been more vocal this year.

"Obviously, you grow as a human being, you get more comfortable with yourself, you get more comfortable talking to crowds as you experience more and more in the league," Durant said. "… I’ve always been on this trajectory, of diving deep into the game, not just for myself but for the whole team. To say that I’m just sitting here, you paint this picture of me coming into the locker room, not talking to my teammates, quiet, not talking to my coaches. Like, come on, man. It’s just ridiculous."

Durant, 36, is averaging 25.8 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game this season. The Suns have raced out to a 5-1 start, which is tied for second place in the Western Conference, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.