sport news Kevin Durant slams critics saying he's 'not a leader' as Kyrie Irving remains ... trends now
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Kevin Durant has slammed detractors who claim he's not a leader as the Nets star plays without co-star Kyrie Irving due to the latter's ongoing suspension.
Durant has performed well in Irving's absence the last seven games, scoring at least 26 points in each contest and stabilizing the team to a 4-3 record in that span.
But Irving's indefinite suspension from the team after promoting an anti-Semitic movie to his Twitter account is still a cloud hanging over the team, and Durant bristled at the notion that his teammate's behavior was a reflection on him.
Kevin Durant has been shouldering a big load for the Nets with Kyrie Irving suspended
'I'm not a leader? What the f--k does that mean?' he asked in an interview with Bleacher Report.
'A lot of people say I'm not a leader because I didn't tell Kyrie to get vaccinated. Come on. Or I didn't condemn Kyrie for leaving the team, going out and living his life. I'm not about to tell a grown-ass man what he can and can't do with his own life and dissect his views or how he thinks about s--t.'
Irving's current absence from the team - which was enforced after he shared the movie 'Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America' to his Twitter and declined to say whether he held any anti-Semitic beliefs - comes after a turbulent 2021-22 season as well.
Irving played just 29 regular season games last season after refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and thus not complying with New York's private sector mandate.
Irving was suspended for at least five games but it's now been seven and counting
It was only until after that private ban was lifted that Irving could
