Kevin Durant Says He's 1 of the NBA's 'Greatest Leaders' in Response to Stephen A.

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant has never been shy to defend himself from critics, and he made a bold declaration on Tuesday.

When asked by a fan about ESPN's Stephen A. Smith claiming he's "not a leader," Durant responded by saying he feels he's "one of the greatest leaders of all time."

The Suns reportedly plan on working with Durant on a trade this summer following the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer. His impending move to a potentially fifth career team reignited criticisms that he can't win on his own.

When a fan asked Durant about why he's been the subject of such narratives throughout his career, the 36-year-old responded, "July 4th, 2016. There’s your answer," referencing the date he famously departed the Oklahoma City Thunder as a free agent to join the Golden State Warriors. He helped lead the Warriors to back-to-back NBA championships and three straight NBA Finals appearances before his departure to the Brooklyn Nets, who later traded him to the Suns.

Since leaving the Warriors, Durant has failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs. Two of his teams were swept in the first round, and the Suns missed the postseason entirely this year after finishing 11th in the Western Conference with a 36-46 record.

Amid Durant's tweet storm on Tuesday, Smith responded on ESPN's First Take and questioned why the 15-time All-Star feels any criticism about him is wrong:

Durant will have a lot of time on his hands over the next few weeks as he watches the postseason from home, so he could have a lot more to say on social media sooner rather than later.