Stephen A. Smith goes all-in on backing Kevin Durant in USA-Europe debate

Kevin Durant isn't entertaining the idea that basketball's global competition is anywhere close to matching the United States. The Houston Rockets star has made his stance clear, and he's not backing down.

During a recent conversation with ESPN, Durant called out the narrative that America is falling behind Europe in player development. He's tired of hearing people compare AAU basketball to the European system, like it's some kind of blueprint the U.S. needs to follow.

But Durant sees something else going on beneath the surface. To him, this isn't just a debate about how the game gets taught. He believes the criticism is aimed directly at Black Americans who continue to dominate and define the sport at its highest level.

Stephen A. Smith defends Kevin Durant’s USA take

Durant's comments did not go unnoticed. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith doubled down on his support during a recent episode of his show, making it clear he is firmly in Durant's corner.

"I'm here to tell you, I'm ten toes down on this with Kevin Durant. He's a thousand percent right," Smith said. "And we can sit up there, we can talk about it in any way we want to. But what we're not gonna do is, we're not gonna run from the subject matter. Kevin Durant is absolutely right.

"Now, you might not hear a lot of people, whether they agree with me or disagree with me. I'm not about to be accusatory or anything like that, 'cause it's not a negative… I consider it a personal responsibility of mine, if I agree with Kevin Durant, to speak up. And to show the level of courage he clearly showed, because he's absolutely right."