Kevin Durant Appears to Call Out Patrick Beverley with Old Kanye West Tweet
May 17, 2022
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley went on quite the tour around ESPN's catalog of debate shows Monday, taking aim at Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns specifically in a few scathing rants.
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant didn't appear to be feeling it:
Beverley specifically said nobody in the NBA was "afraid of anybody over there in Phoenix" and said that CP3 "can't guard nobody" in a series of appearances:
First Take @FirstTake“Ain’t nobody afraid of anybody over there in Phoenix, man. Everybody in the league knows that.”<br><br>.<a href="https://twitter.com/patbev21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@patbev21</a>, tell us how you really feel about the Suns 👀 <a href="https://t.co/GlxSAXUrq5">pic.twitter.com/GlxSAXUrq5</a>
ESPN @espn“CP can’t guard nobody man. Everybody in the NBA know that. ... He’s a cone. ... Give him the Ben Simmons slander.”<br><br>👀 <a href="https://twitter.com/patbev21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@patbev21</a><br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/GetUpESPN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GetUpESPN</a>) <a href="https://t.co/9bh8HOdJ0J">pic.twitter.com/9bh8HOdJ0J</a>
Durant wasn't the only current or former NBA player to side-eye Beverley's remarks, though some were entertained:
ESPN @espn.<a href="https://twitter.com/Matt_Barnes22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Matt_Barnes22</a> was not a fan of Patrick Beverley's criticism of Chris Paul:<br><br>"There's a thin line between being critical and disrespecting. And I feel like what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul, was completely disrespectful and out of the line." <a href="https://t.co/3q2xmJLrB8">pic.twitter.com/3q2xmJLrB8</a>
Beverley and Paul clearly have a history, which appeared to simmer over during last year's postseason when Beverley pushed Paul in the back toward the end of Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
Paul was in the process of laying 41 points on Beverley's Los Angeles Clippers in a 130-103 series-clinching blowout.
Durant and Beverley have also butted heads in the past:
To be fair, Beverley has probably butted heads with a healthy portion of the NBA, given his fiery demeanor and dogged defensive intensity. He has never shied away from the heel role, and he has scrapped and fought his way to a solid NBA career.
His comments about Paul were arguably out of pocket, however. Paul is a 12-time All-Star who has been named to nine All-Defensive teams. Beverley, who has made his name in the NBA as a perimeter defender, has been named to three All-Defensive teams.
Beverley has the right to his opinion. But it isn't surprising to see other NBA stars standing up for Paul in the wake of Beverley's comments.