Stephen A. Smith Goes OFF on Kevin Durant For Deflecting All-Star Catastrophe Onto Europeans

The 2026 NBA All-Star game is touted to be a better experience after the league introduced the USA vs. World format.

Stephen A. Smith Goes OFF on Kevin Durant For Deflecting All-Star Catastrophe Onto Europeans

Stephen A. Smith and Kevin Durant (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Stephen A. Smith criticized Kevin Durant for deflecting blame regarding the lack of effort in the NBA All-Star Weekend.
  • Durant suggested that European players like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic were not held accountable for the event's shortcomings.
  • Several top superstars, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry, have withdrawn from the 2026 All-Star game, impacting the event's star power.

With the All-Star weekend approaching, all eyes are on the OGs, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, as many believe this could be the last time the three are in this event.

Even though the Los Angeles Lakers superstar managed to keep his All-Star streak alive with a reserve selection, the league decided to pool him along with Durant and Curry in the USA Stripes team. Soon, that goal took a hit when it was revealed that the latter would not be playing, as he is still nursing the ‘right patellofemoral pain syndrome’ he has been struggling with.

In the meantime, reporters wanted to know from the Houston Rockets star if the new USA vs. World format would bring increased levels of competition.

Kevin Durant did not have the nicest of replies and promptly deflected the blame onto the likes of Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, who he felt did not face the brunt of these questions, even though they have routinely been casual during these games.

Folks didn’t call out the old heads. They called out everybody. They called out All-Star Weekend… What really turned everybody off was the flagrant lack of effort. There is no excuse on earth for us to see you putting forth more effort playing around in the summer, working out, than you showing us at an All-Star Weekend.

Stephen A. Smith said

The ESPN analyst reiterated on First Take that his attack was directed at all the NBA All-Stars of these past few years, as neither of them has displayed the willingness to perform for the fans. Therefore, Kevin Durant does not get to deflect the blame from himself.

NBA All-Star will be sans several top superstars

Now that Stephen Curry is not available, the idea to bring about the Paris Olympics gold medal-winning trio back together before LeBron James possibly retires or is not eligible to play is over.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry will miss 2026 All-Star game
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry will miss 2026 All-Star game (Image via PlayoffLucro/X)

However, he is not the only superstar to withdraw from the 2026 event. Reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the first to let the league know that he would not recover fast enough to play at Intuit Dome this weekend.

Now, Shams Charania confirmed that Giannis Antetokounmpo has also withdrawn from it and will not play for Team World. He had initially intimated that he would work hard to recover from the hamstring injury he suffered last month.

He would still be coaching Charania’s Celebrity team alongside his brothers and Los Angeles Dodgers’ superstar shortstop Mookie Betts, but that is as far as he would be present.

The hope is that at least Luka Doncic will recover enough to play. He has been out of the Lakers’ past four games and is working hard to get ready for Sunday.

Cooper Flagg will not play in Rising Stars challenge

The NBA All-Star game will be without three of its best players, and could potentially miss a fourth. However, that is not the only big-name absentee from this year’s festivities.

Cooper Flagg has been a sensation ever since the Dallas Mavericks selected him No. 1 overall in the 2025 Draft. However, the 19-year-old will not be ready to play for Carmelo Anthony‘s team, as he is still dealing with a left midfoot sprain.

This means that Friday’s festivities also take a hit, as the NBA would have liked its bright young phenom to bring back some excitement to the Rising Stars challenge. Even though they will have controversial rookie Ace Bailey as his replacement, the latter does not pull fans in the same manner.

It has been a while since fans took interest in Friday’s events, and this time, Flagg’s absence is likely going to impact attendance and viewership numbers.

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