Kevin Durant Blasts Scottie Pippen for Saying KD Doesn’t ‘Know How to Play Team Basketball'

The former Bulls Player and six-time NBA champion compared Durant and LeBron James, saying that the former doesn’t “know how to play team basketball.”

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BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 19: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during Round 2, Game 7 on June 19, 2021 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Kevin Durant has responded to Scottie Pippen after he said that the Nets star has yet to surpass LeBron James in a new interview with GQ.

While talking about the recent playoff series between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks, the former Bulls Player compared Durant and LeBron James and said the former doesn’t “know how to play team basketball.” Despite the criticism, Pippen did praise Durant for his ability to score. 

As you most likely know, the Bucks were able to advance to the Eastern Conference finals after defeating Durant and the Nets in Game 7 after going to overtime.

“KD can score better than LeBron, probably always have been able to,” Pippen said during the interview. “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.”

Pippen continued, “A two-time MVP. In the Finals. [Laughs.] That’s good when you’ve got Steph Curry leading the troops. But when you’re leading the troops, you gotta know how to lead and win. And KD, as great as his offense was, it turned out to be his worst enemy because he didn’t know how to play team basketball when it came down to it. He kept trying to go punch for punch. They were beating him with Giannis [Antetokounmpo], [Khris] Middleton, and what’s the little guard name?”

Durant caught wind of Pippen’s comments and took to Twitter to sound off, writing, “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??”

But that wasn’t all:

In ESPN’s wildly popular Last Dance documentary miniseries, Pippen talked about delaying getting surgery. 

“I had a ruptured tendon in my ankle, and I decided to have surgery late because I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not gonna fuck my summer up trying to rehab for a season, you know?’” Pippen said in the doc, per Bleacher Report. “They’re not gonna be looking forward to having me, so I’mma enjoy my summer, and I’ll use the season to prepare.”

Just the other day, Pippen made similar comments to what he told GQ about Durant while talking to Yahoo Sports.

“Surpassing LeBron James takes a little bit more than an individual’s effort. LeBron James is a complete team player who understands team and winning. Has K.D. gotten to that level yet? He went home,” Pippen said, per the New York Post. “To say that he’s surpassed LeBron, I think he still has some learning to do in terms of what it takes to will a team to victory. Give Brooklyn a lot of credit. They lost Kyrie, James Harden probably was less than 50 percent. It just wasn’t seeing the same player, but still, it was a heck of a series.”

Stay tuned to see if Durant or Pippen have more to say. In the meantime, head to GQ to read Pippen talk about Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Phil Jackson, his new memoir, and much more.

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