According to Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, there’s a fake video — which may be AI-generated — of him circulating on social media, and the video doesn’t exactly portray him in a positive light.
The clip allegedly depicts Smith using profanity to talk about Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
Smith took to X on Thursday and explained that the video circulating is totally fictitious and that those words never came out of his mouth. It’s worth noting that it isn’t totally clear what video Smith is referring to.
“We are living in dangerous times,” Smith wrote on X. “There is some b.s. floating around on Instagram with me talking about @KDTrey5 — using profanity, cussing him out, etc. For the record, that is a LIE. It is A.I Generated or something. I just letting everyone know ahead of time…..THAT WAS NOT ME! No truth to it. Just so everyone knows. Complete Fabrication. Have a nice day”
Although the particular video Smith referenced is evidently fake, the ESPN star does have a history of being critical of Durant. When Durant signed with a Golden State Warriors team that was on the heels of a 73-win season in the summer of 2016, Smith went on record calling the move the weakest he’s ever seen from a superstar player.
More recently, Smith questioned Durant’s leadership near the start of this season and admitted that he wasn’t very high on Phoenix’s chances with the forward leading the way.
Shortly after Smith made those comments, Durant went in on the ESPN talking head and said he’s “never seen him anywhere but on TV talking s— about players,” calling Smith a “clown.”
Durant has been trying to aid the Suns in their push for a spot in the play-in tournament as the 2024-25 regular season winds down. Phoenix is one game back of the Sacramento Kings for the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference with only six contests remaining on its 82-game schedule.
Unfortunately, Durant is now injured, putting him on the shelf at a brutal time for Phoenix. The Suns have also lost four games in a row. When he’s been on the floor, Durant has had a strong season, something NBA fans have grown used to. The question now is whether he’ll get a chance to take the floor again for the Suns.
Meanwhile, fans should start being extra critical of what they see on social media these days, especially with the rise of AI.
