Kevin Durant appears to have subtly criticized Kendrick Lamar while expressing admiration for J. Cole.
Durant, who has been consistently supportive of Drake during his feud with the Compton rapper, unlike other NBA stars like LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan, took to X (formerly Twitter) to take a jab at Lamar.
In response to J. Cole’s highly praised new track “Clouds,” Durant wrote: “I don’t care bout none of that fake tough guy shit. This is mastery.”
Many interpreted Durant’s comment as a direct dig at Kendrick, leading to a back-and-forth between him and fans on the social media platform.
I don’t care bout none of that fake tough guy shit. This is mastery https://t.co/OAXUuGAxTT
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 23, 2025
After one user commented, “fake tough guy?!”, the former NBA MVP replied, “U took that as a personal shot towards your favorite?”
Durant then clarified he was “dissing all yall fans who can’t listen to Jcole without saying hes ‘soft’.”
When another fan said, “I bet you asked for permission from the boy if you could show support for Cole, but ONLY if you throw shade at the Boogeyman,” Durant responded: “I’m throwing shade at fans like you, been hatin on Cole this whole time. Just listen to the music and stfu.”
I bet you asked for permission from the boy if you could show support for Cole, but ONLY if you throw shade at the Boogeyman pic.twitter.com/wsA5NKZOlT
— …✍️ (@_CallMeDennis_) February 23, 2025
U took that as a personal shot towards your favorite??
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 23, 2025
He’s fighting his own demons but he’s soft tho. Fine man
— TalkBoutPeace? (@AintNoPeace4Us) February 24, 2025
Durant had previously downplayed Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance, stating: “It meant nothing to me. No thoughts — I didn’t really pay attention to it to be honest. It was a little boring day for a Super Bowl. The game got out of hand. The Super Bowl Halftime Show — I didn’t pay attention to it. I kinda skimmed through the whole thing, to be honest.”
Durant even received an A&R credit on Drake’s For All The Dogs, later explaining why he took on the role: “I’m just there for him whenever Drake wants to talk about life, and he just gave me that title.”
Drake has also referenced Durant in several songs, such as in “Weston Road Flows,” where he raps: “Shout out to KD, we relate, we get the same attention / It’s rainin’ money, Oklahoma City Thunder.”
