Putting an end to the Kevin Durant leadership debate that never seems to die

Kevin Durant led the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. He led them with a team-high 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting, he led them to a 6-1 record that ties the best seven-game start in franchise history, and he led them down the stretch with 8 points over their 14-3 run to close out the game’s final five minutes.

In the last minute alone, he supplied Phoenix with two go-ahead buckets: a jumper that gave the Suns a 116-115 lead, and a layup with 24 seconds left that gave them the lead for good in their 118-116 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

On a night where Devin Booker shot a putrid 3-for-18, Kevin Durant and the Suns’ improved depth were great enough to turn what normally would’ve been a double-digit loss in years past into an ugly-yet-resilient comeback win.

But apparently, on-court results alone don’t make you a leader. Kevin Durant’s leadership has been under fire for years now, especially last season in Phoenix, where the Suns pushed through the most unenjoyable 49-win season in recent memory before being swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Former Suns legend Charles Barkley called Durant “a follower” last season, but this topic didn’t die over the offseason. Just last week, Stephen A. Smith went on ESPN’s First Take and identified Durant’s lack of leadership as his biggest reason he doesn’t believe in the Suns as title contenders.

.@stephenasmith doesn't have "much" belief in the Suns with KD as their superstar 👀

"I don't question the greatness nor commitment of Kevin Durant. … When you are that great … you should be able to be a better leader than he has shown." pic.twitter.com/0DTd5Vxvfh

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 24, 2024

Durant politely responded on Twitter, noting that he disagreed and that he “would argue, passionately,” that his intangibles have always been on par with his talent. But when asked about the leadership topic for what probably feels like the hundredth time, KD dropped the niceties.

“I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A.,” Durant told The Athletic’s Doug Haller. “I’ve been in the league for 18 years. I’ve never seen Stephen A. at a practice, or a film session, or a shootaround. I’ve never seen him anywhere but on TV talking shit about players.…He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too.”

Of course, this type of viral quote caught Smith’s attention, and he fired back once again on The Stephen A. Smith Show.

Responding to @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/tl7opdHUVQ

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 4, 2024

After Monday’s game, Durant was asked about his recent run-in with the media in relation to Joel Embiid’s incident, where he allegedly shoved a reporter who grossly invoked the name of his deceased brother in a column about Embiid’s inability to play through injury. The two situations are totally different, and the ways in which Durant and Embiid handled those situations are as well, but Durant spoke to his perspective.

“Well, I think the last 10 years for me, and the last 10 years for Jo, the media’s been having a run-in with us,” Durant said. “So, I mean, we human beings, sometimes you wanna voice how you feel about certain situations. It is what it is. It’s healthy, right? I mean, they can critique what we do, so we want to critique as well, you know? We got opinions and ideas on certain things too. So as long as the dialogue is open, as long as they can hear what we’re sayin’ and vice-versa, I don’t think it’s too bad.”

Durant has never been shy about offering up his opinions on Twitter or in media sessions, and despite being an open book in that regard, it’s alarming how often this narrative about his leadership blows out of proportion. It’s especially irritating when it come from someone who isn’t in the building, and who — to this reporter’s knowledge, at least — hasn’t covered a Suns game in Phoenix since the Valley-Oop, months before Durant was even in Phoenix.

So in the interest of setting the record straight, it’s time to put an end to the Kevin Durant leadership narrative for good. Back in 2021, when I made the switch from covering the Suns part-time to becoming a full-time beat reporter, I started gathered the audio and video recording from every single media availability session with every single Suns player and coach.

From practices and shootarounds to pregame and postgame availabilities for home games, I have transcribed every single answer from every single player and coach over the last three-plus seasons, and I’ve gathered them all in one running document to refer back to in times just like these, when it becomes necessary to circle back and remind people of what’s been said over the years.

In other words, I kept the receipts.

So without further ado, here is every single relevant quote I could find from Suns coaches and teammates since the Kevin Durant trade referring his leadership style and how he leads by example. Below is a condensed version in video format, followed by fully transcribed responses (with dates) from the last two-and-a-half years.

This is current as of Nov. 5, 2024, but we may have to continue updating it as the season progresses, since we already know some national pundit is going to bring up this tired talking point again in the near future.

What Suns players and NBA coaches have said about Kevin Durant’s leadership

Mike Brown on Kevin Durant’s leadership during their time together on the Golden State Warriors (Nov. 10, 2024): “On Kevin Durant’s leadership style from their time together on the Warriors: “Maybe last game or yesterday after practice, I don’t know when I said this, but he is a guy that leads by example — ’cause I brought up LeBron as well. LeBron obviously is more vocal, but just in terms of KD’s work ethic, just off the charts. People think that, ‘Oh, he’s 7 feet and he can shoot over everybody,’ but that amount of time that he spends on his craft is amazing. But on top of that, there are a lot of guys that spend time on their craft and just kinda go through the motions half-speed. KD works. He tries to go hard whenever he works out, and it’s evident in the way that he plays. So a great leader by example. He will speak up if he feels like he needs to, but more importantly, the amount of detail and work that he puts in honing his craft is just an unbelievable thing to witness.”

Bradley Beal on Kevin Durant’s leadership (Nov. 2, 2024): “I think he’s definitely a lot more vocal this year and just holding guys accountable, holding himself accountable. And just kind of just taking on that encouragement piece of it too, ’cause it goes a long way, especially when you’re a star of a team. But a lot of times, you’re in your mindset, you’re in kill mode and you want everybody else to follow suit, but that encouragement that he gives, and that confidence like he gives Ryan [Dunn], it goes a long way. And that’s the reason why guys step up and play the way they do when you have guys like K backing you.”

Josh Okogie on Kevin Durant’s leadership (Nov. 2, 2024): “Kevin is Kevin, you know what I’m saying? And I see all the time people say his leadership ain’t this, his leadership ain’t that, but you can’t force. Leadership is leadership. You know what I’m saying? You can’t say, ‘If it ain’t leadership like this, it ain’t leadership.’ Everybody got their ways on getting to other people. Some people are ‘rah rah’ guys, we don’t have a lot of ‘rah rah’ guys in here. We have guys who we’re all about results. You either do it or you don’t, and Kevin is a good guy who makes sure everybody’s held accountable. He won’t yell it to you. Sometimes he yells when he’s in the midst of things, but for the most part, he just makes sure you know what’s expected of you and he makes sure you go out there and do your job. And he does a good job of going out there and doing his job. So it makes you see the work ethic that he puts in, it forces you to kinda do your job when you get out there too.”

Josh Okogie on why it’s always a talking point with Kevin Durant’s leadership (Nov. 2, 2024): “I feel like, for Kevin, it’s just like, people just like to use him as the easy target. You know what I’m saying? But he does a good job of not listening too. I know sometimes he might, you know, troll people on Twitter — I be looking forward to that too when I get on my Twitter — but I mean, he just doesn’t let people get to him. But I don’t know why people do that to him.”

Josh Okogie on whether it’s fair to say your best player doesn’t have to be your emotional leader (Nov. 2, 2024): “Yeah. He doesn’t have to be the emotional leader. But he is a leader. We all look to him for when the team is in distress or the team needs him, he shows up every time. I mean, that’s what a leader is supposed to do: Show up every time. No matter the midst of the storm or the midst of the battle, he shows up every time, and he tells you what’s expected to be as well. So if we turning the ball over, he’ll say it in the timeout, ‘Fellas, we gotta stop turning the ball over.’ And if I have five turnovers, he’ll be like, ‘JO, get your head in the game. Stop turning the fucking ball over.’ You know what I’m saying? But he ain’t gonna, ‘RAH RAH RAH!’ That’s just not him. But he doesn’t need to do that to get to people. We’re all professionals, we shouldn’t need somebody to yell at us for us to be able to do our jobs.”

Mike Budenholzer on Kevin Durant’s leadership (Nov. 1, 2024): “He’s been off the charts. Like, I couldn’t be happier with his leadership, with his voice. We’ve talked some — we’re kind of through the camp phase of life, but how hard he went in camp, how the drills and the different things, and he set the tone for us as an organization, for us as a team. And it’s not just been by leadership. It’s been his voice. He’s put his arm around young players, he’s put his arm around veterans, he’s put his arm around me. It’s something that’s important to us. I don’t know if he likes it or knows it, but I’m gonna keep pushing him to be his best in all ways, including as a leader. But I could not be happier with his leadership.”

Damion Lee on Kevin Durant’s leadership (Oct. 26, 2024): “I think it’s because Kevin’s not the most outwardly vocal, he doesn’t have the hottest takes. He doesn’t have, like, the — whatever you want to call it. People say his takes that he has on Twitter, which I feel are valid, because he speaks on himself. He doesn’t speak about anyone else, he doesn’t speak down on anyone. When it comes to the game, he knows the game, and he wants everyone to be aggressive. And, I mean, for him, you look at a guy like that that doesn’t care about the extra stuff. He comes in and he works. There’s different ways to lead. Some people lead by voice, some people lead by doing, and he’s an action-based person. But when it comes to the game, he’s always willing to give guys encouragement. He continues to give me encouragement, gives the younger guys encouragement, talks to the coaches, talks to Book, talks to Brad, talks to Tyus. He just finds different ways, whether it’s for him getting into his spot or other guys getting into their spots. So I think it’s one of those things where people see that someone is good at a lot of things or really good at what they do, and whenever you’re at the top, people always try to throw stones or try to break you down. But for someone of his stature that’s been doing it for as long as he’s been doing it, I think he leads in his own way, and I think his leadership style works.”

Damion Lee on what’s different about Kevin Durant’s work ethic (Oct. 26, 2024): “I’ve been lucky to be with him in two separate places, and seeing the way he works, whether it’s before practice, after practice, if it’s 15 minutes, if it’s 20 minutes, like, he’s going like the game is coming up. And that could be at 10 in the morning, or 8 in the morning. Like, it doesn’t matter for him what time, as long as he’s able to come out here and make an impact on the game. I think he reads the game at high enough level, he’s had some success in his career. So I think it’s just that. It’s just him understanding the game, knowing what he does well, and I think just the work. Like, he’s a big believer in hard work pays off, and he’s in, what, year 17-18, and he’s still working like he’s a rookie.”

Damion Lee on what impression Kevin Durant has left on him (Oct. 26, 2024): “Growing up, he was obviously like a lot of the guys, we’re all in that same boat, like, one of our favorite players. He was one of my favorite players growing up, and also being like a Baltimore guy, and him being from D.C. right down the road, and it was like, you hear the stories about a guy, and then you see from afar, and then you see up close. And I’ve been fortunate enough to share time with him. Not only is he one of the greatest ever to touch a basketball, he’s one of the greatest teammates and people. He genuinely cares about people he cares about. He uplifts everyone, and I just think Kevin’s a very special person. He’s always looked out for me, even my first time with Golden State when we were together, time here as well. Like, he just always finds a way to just look out for people, and I think that goes to his character. And I think people try to attack your character when they don’t know you, when they’re on the outside looking in. So they want to try to find things to say about you, but Kev’s been good in my book, and he’ll always be good in my book. He’s one of the real ones across this league.”

Royce O’Neale on things people take for granted with Kevin Durant (Oct. 26, 2024): “I think just the things he do, his leadership, his tough baskets. I mean, he puts in the work every day, he leads by example, and this is his labor and fruits. Just out there just making everything look so easy. He’s been in this league for a long time. Playing against him and being on his team is special.”

Devin Booker on Kevin Durant’s leadership style (Oct. 22, 2024): “He’s one of the greatest to ever do it. He’s more vocal than people say he is, but he also leads by example every day. He’s the loudest one in practice, he’s first in every drill, and the pace of his individual workouts is second to none.”

Tyus Jones on Kevin Durant’s work ethic (Oct. 22, 2024): “He’s still looking for ways to get better, he’s still pushing himself to get better. How do you not do the same when he’s an all-time great, one of the best scorers we’ve ever seen, and he’s still trying to improve, and he’s still busting his tail each and every day? So it does nothing but motivate everyone else, and it’s contagious because if he’s not satisfied with where he’s at, how can anybody else be?”

Tyus Jones on Kevin Durant’s work ethic being a form of leadership (Oct. 22, 2024): “You could lead many different ways. K’s a more quiet guy, vocally, but at the same time, he does speak when necessary. But he leads by example each and every day in multiple areas.”

Kevin Durant on Mike Budenholzer preaching “talk is cheap” (Oct. 21, 2024): “I’ve tried to tell people this my whole life, my whole career, that talk is cheap. But, I mean, that’s what people look at as leadership is when you’re vocal, they can see the emotions on your sleeve. But it’s all about your movements and your intent and what you’re doing out there, and I think for the most part, it’s about showing up and working hard. You can say all you want, but if you don’t come to work, then what does it matter, you know? So I’m glad Bud’s said that. That’s always been what I stand on and how I approach this thing. And there’s gonna be times when you need to speak up, but more times than not, you’re gonna have to show it with your actions in this league. You can’t talk your way out of shit here.”

Kevin Durant on talk not really mattering (Oct. 21, 2024): “A lot of people question my leadership as an individual ’cause I’m a naturally quiet guy in front of people I don’t know, you know what I’m saying? Or not comfortable with. And then you come in here, and you kind of see what the dynamic is of a team where it’s not a lot of talking all the time from the players, it’s more so guys putting in work, listening to the coaches.”

Mike Budenholzer on Kevin Durant’s dedication in Year 18 (Oct. 2, 2024): “There’s so many things that are just so impressive about Kevin, but to see what he’s doing out here in training camp, I think leading with his effort, leading with his competitiveness, he doesn’t take drills off, he’s the first one in line — it’s kind of the stuff you want from your best players.”

Ryan Dunn on Kevin Durant’s work ethic setting an example (Oct. 1, 2024): “Every single rep he takes, it’s 100 percent. And that’s someone that I want to get to in my whole career, so it’s great to have him trying to go behind him and try to learn as much as I can.”

Bol Bol on KD’s leadership (Sept. 31, 2024): “I’m sure everyone saw that clip last year of me and him with the iPad. But he’ll just always be like, ‘Do this better,’ and, ‘Do this better.’ He just tries to critique everything I do. And even in the workouts, he’ll be like, ‘Yo, you should do this,’ and then he’ll explain why you should be able to do this. And then I just see him do it in the games, and I’m like, ‘All right, it works.’ So everything he’s saying is definitely working out for him.”

Frank Vogel on Kevin Durant’s vocal leadership on the defensive end (Feb. 13, 2024): “Yeah, he’s got a high care factor. That’s the No. 1 thing. When we’re not defending at a high enough level, he’s our most vocal guy, and he challenges others.”

Frank Vogel on how special Kevin Durant is (Oct. 16, 2023): “As good as any of them. And I think the work ethic is something I had not seen close up, how hard he goes in his individual workouts. And the more you learn about him, you learn that this is just the way he’s been. There’s a lot of guys with talent in this league and the game in general, but not all of ’em become great players and elite players like KD. I think he’s a perfect exhibition of a really talented guy that is the hardest-working guy around. Put it all together, and you see what we got.”

Frank Vogel on Kevin Durant’s approach to leadership (Oct. 16, 2023): “He’s definitely more of a lead by example guy, but he represents the right things and he’ll communicate things that are out of place or can we do certain things that may be better for our group.”

Frank Vogel on how meaningful it is to have Devin Booker and Kevin Durant set the tone defensively (Oct. 5, 2023): “It’s everything. It’s everything, and it’s necessary, because if they set that tone was their leadership, that’s their form of leading. Right? When they set the tone with their leadership, everybody else has a higher standard, and then the group plays at a higher level.”

Grayson Allen on being Kevin Durant’s teammate and realizing new things about him (Oct. 5, 2023): “The way he competes on both ends as a guy who you’re relying on for 30 points is very impressive. So his leadership in practice is very consistent with what I already thought.”

Frank Vogel on any players that have stood out from a leadership standpoint (Oct. 4, 2023): “KD is a big-time tone-setter with how hard he goes in all his individual work, all his practices. It’s really, really impressive.”

Kevin Durant on conversations with Frank Vogel and leadership at Media Day (Oct. 2, 2023): “We rarely talk about leadership, because when you got guys that work hard and provide their best every single day, that just rubs off on everybody else. So it’s not a conversation you gotta have that’s pointless as captains or leaders. It just happens by just the work ethic we put in and the love that we have for the game every single day. That’ll shine brighter than us talking about anything.”

Gregg Popovich on Kevin Durant’s work ethic (April 4, 2023): “Nobody knows how hard he works. Nobody knows what he does before and after practice, especially after practice. When we were with USA, we’d have the practice, and then he’d go over a bucket with one of the coaches, he might go for another 25-35 minutes, hard, with every one of his moves in the book. I mean, hard. From inside the bucket to the post to 3-point line, coming off this movement and that movement. We were just all in amazement just watching it.”

Monty Williams on Kevin Durant’s arrival raising the competitiveness of the gym (Feb. 23, 2023): “I do feel like when guys watch him work, I think it’s something that it inspires people to get after it in their own workouts, ’cause you’re not going to find anybody that goes as hard as Kevin. When he’s doing his individual stuff, it’s amazing to watch. And I think from that standpoint, it’s capable of elevating even a competitive gym.”

Deandre Ayton on Kevin Durant elevating everyone’s competitiveness (Feb. 23, 2023): “It’s scary, man. Because I think everybody’s competitive level has risen a little bit. The atmosphere around the facility has — I don’t know, I won’t say got intense, but it’s definitely a little denser when it comes to handling business and ain’t no more playing games. Less smiles, more seriousness and getting the job done.”

Kevin Durant on what it would mean to the Suns fanbase and himself to win a title (Feb. 16, 2023): “Yeah, I mean, that’s why we play the game of basketball. We understand that. But I’m more concerned about what we do every day as a team — the stuff that you guys don’t see. I think that’s what really brings championships, and puts us in a position to win a championship is the work that we put in every day. So I’m looking forward to doing that.”

Devin Booker on what’s impressed him about Kevin Durant and his work ethic (Feb. 14, 2023): “It’s just something that you gotta be around. It’s a feeling when you’re around greatness, when you’re around one of the best to ever do it. It’s just a different look, it’s a different feel. It’s kinda hard to put to words, but I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Devin Booker on learning about Kevin Durant at the Olympics (Feb. 14, 2023): “Just work ethic. I know it’s kinda cliche, ‘the first one in the gym, the last one to leave’; he did all that. Me, Jrue [Holiday] and Khris [Middleton] were just leaving the Finals, so post-practice, we were taking it kinda light, and I got to watch from a distance, and he was going full-throttle. He was ready to go, and it was contagious. He was bringing a lot of people along with him. Every day he had somebody different in his workout with him. You could just tell that he was just pushing it. He was bringing the best out of everybody around him.”

Monty Williams on how the Suns responded to seeing Kevin Durant in practice (Feb. 13, 2023): “I think the gym we have and the culture that we’ve tried to build here allows for guys like that to come in and just fit. But I do think it does have a huge impression on anybody that watches somebody that’s accomplished that much, watching how hard they go and how much they love it. I can’t speak to what people feel about that, but I know for me, being in the gym with the great ones and really good players that bring it like that every day, like, it made me want to get after it, just because there’s a small part of you that makes you think, like, ‘Man, I could do that!’ But then you come to reality and you deal with reality and you realize you can’t. But I think anybody that comes into our gym, you’re probably gonna stick out like a sore thumb if you don’t work hard. But when you have a really good player that works like he does, it’s something cool to watch.”

T.J. Warren on Kevin Durant being a worker (Feb. 13, 2023): “Man, he’s a great worker. Kevin, he’s very routine, he’s gonna do the same thing every day. Works on his game, he loves the game. It’s just gonna be contagious being able to just be around him and pick up tips from him as well as a lot of basketball minds — CP, Book. He’s gonna help a lot of guys, man. It’s just great to have him here.”