Skip Bayless has had many notable feuds with professional athletes over the years. But undoubtedly, the player who has fed into Bayless’s constant chatter the most has been the always-vocal Kevin Durant, who again took to social media to clap back at recent criticisms from Bayless.
Unlike LeBron James, who Bayless has always been critical of in the worst ways, Durant was once a player who Bayless advocated for relentlessly in the early portions of his career when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Bayless was even one of the few sports media members who didn’t criticize Durant too harshly for joining the already dominant Golden State Warriors in 2016.
Lately, Bayless has significantly changed his tune about Durant. In a recent episode of his podcast, The Skip Bayless Show, he publicly blasted his defensive effort and his drive as a basketball player, calling him “mentally semi-retired.”
Durant noticed this and took to social media to play into Bayless’s criticisms by telling him that they are “both washed.”
Fuck it, We’re both washed, it was a a great run @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/CVjqPSWWHH
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) March 9, 2025
This prompted Bayless to further the ongoing beef between the two on Tuesday’s most recent episode of The Skip Bayless Show, outlining how he believes he isn’t willing to do the things necessary to win at this point in his career.
“The other night, Kevin Durant tweeted at me as he has several times over the last 12 years,” said Bayless. “But, once again, I’m not sure Kevin quite understood what I was saying about him… I definitely don’t think KD is physically washed — his body looks great… No loss of quickness or spring that I can see or tell. No, no, no, I’m talking intangibles, hunger, burning desire to win, to sacrifice, to do whatever it takes.
“Kevin won his MVP, won his two Finals MVPs, he has dominated international basketball the way nobody has ever dominated international basketball. What’s left? Now, he just loves to hoop. I don’t blame him. But he just loves to score, to play offense. Defense? Optional. Setting a defensive tone for his team? is optional. Leading? Optional. Winning? Optional.
“As KD tweeted at me, ‘It was a great run.’ And it was. But now Kevin has so many business interests that interest him almost as much as hooping. Maybe interests him more. A big documentary is coming out about his life and his times. He has done it all. But that’s past tense. Has done it all. Now, he can still play at a high level. But win at a high level? Is he still as obsessed with winning as he was when he was in Year 10?… As you can see, I’ve just never been able to win with Kevin Durant, who now can’t win in Phoenix. I’m still right about Kevin Durant.”
With KD, I’m talking intangibles. Hunger. Burning desire to win. Leading, optional. Winning, optional. As KD tweeted, it was a great run. And it was. He has done it all, past tense. He can still PLAY at a high level. But WIN at a high level? Is he still as obsessed with WINNING? pic.twitter.com/5TVfKGfgyM
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 19, 2025
Maybe Durant will go on to prove Bayless wrong with a strong end to the season to get the Suns back into a play-in spot in the Western Conference.
But clearly, Bayless isn’t exactly sold that Durant is still hungry to achieve more in his NBA career.
