Kevin Durant’s Latest Comments Hand Stephen A. Smith a Major Win!

1. In a recent discussion with The Athletic, Kevin Durant openly criticized ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith.

“Honestly, I can’t grasp why anyone listens to Stephen A.,” Durant expressed during his interview with The Athletic. “In my 18 years in the league, I’ve never once seen him at a practice, or a team film study, or even a warm-up session. I’ve only seen him on television, disparaging players. He’s simply a jester in my view. And you can quote me on that.”

A few weeks prior on First Take, Smith had accused Durant of lacking leadership qualities. Durant responded via Twitter initially, and later reignited the controversy with his latest remarks to The Athletic.

This situation ultimately plays into Smith’s hands. Why? It provides him with new material and a chance to dedicate a segment of First Take on Monday to address Durant’s comments.

Durant, a high-profile athlete, primarily focuses on his professional basketball career, while Smith’s role revolves around generating content and eliciting reactions with his opinions.

When an athlete of Durant’s stature responds to a media figure like Smith, it typically benefits the latter. Durant gains nothing from this feud, whereas Smith’s relevance is bolstered by it.

2.

CBS commentator Kevin Harlan was ideally suited to call the moment when Tyler Bass kicked a 61-yard field goal that clinched a victory for Buffalo against Miami last Sunday.

3.

It might sound like an old-fashioned rant, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor distributing an excessive number of game balls following a win over the struggling Raiders seems over the top. It’s hard to imagine coaching legends like Bill Belichick or Bill Parcells ever doing something similar.

4.

It’s tough to think of a more unfortunate prop bet outcome than this one.

5.

Here’s an excerpt from last Monday’s Traina Thoughts after the Browns’ surprising victory over the Ravens:

I’m thankful for this column because it allows me to share thoughts that would probably get me crucified on Twitter. For instance, after the Browns’ unexpected win yesterday, Twitter was abuzz celebrating Jameis Winston. Anyone suggesting anything negative would have been virtually ostracized.

However, I can’t help but think, “Why is everyone crediting Winston so much when the game should have ended with his interception?”

Winston’s performance in yesterday’s 27–10 loss to the Chargers included 26 completions out of 46 attempts for 235 yards and three interceptions.

I’ll never understand Twitter’s bizarre narrative of Winston being a skilled quarterback.

6.

The latest episode of the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast features ESPN’s Joe Buck.

Buck discusses the significance of Major League Baseball calls for fans, the challenges faced by national broadcasters during MLB playoffs, and why he won’t be calling baseball for ESPN. He also talks about the best plays to call in the NFL, the experience of broadcasting a Monday Night Football game against a World Series game, his punctuality dispute with Troy Aikman, restrictions concerning Tom Brady, and more.

Following Buck, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY TV joins for a weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment, where they review Apple Podcast reviews for October, talk about the World Series, an odd NFL betting line, and a recent sports TV segment that was particularly successful.

The SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast is available below or on platforms like Apple and Spotify.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY

Happy 63rd birthday wishes go out to Ralph Macchio today.

Make sure to catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify, or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.