Veteran sports commentator Stephen A. Smith firmly believes the Golden State Warriors' championship win this 2021-22 has a negative impact on Kevin Durant's legacy.

The Warriors won their fourth title in eight years (and six tries), completely destroying that narrative they couldn't win without Durant. Their 2015 win was largely discredited after facing an injured and depleted Cleveland Cavaliers squad, and the legitimacy of that title victory only took a hit further when they gave up a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals.

When Durant came, the Warriors easily obliterated the rest of the league and won two championships in three tries. Of course it created this talk about how the Dubs couldn't win without KD.

Fast forward to 2022 and Stephen Curry and the rest of Golden State are champions once again. Now, for Stephen A. Smith, they have turned the tables and made it look like they never needed Durant anyway.

“Kevin Durant, with all his greatness, is going to be talked about as the guy who left Steph Curry for Kyrie Irving rather than the guy we know him to be: one of the greatest players this game has ever seen, a two-time champion and a two-time NBA Finals MVP,” Smith shared on First Take.

Stephen A. Smith is not alone in his sentiment. Even NBA fans think Kevin Durant's legacy took a big hit after the Warriors showed everyone they are the same championship-caliber team with or without one of the best offensive players in NBA history.

Of course there is nothing wrong with Durant choosing to lead his own team and prove to everyone that he can do win a championship as well. However, for him to shut down all the naysayers, he has to really pull it off.