Viral Clip Shows Kevin Durant Talking Trash To Controversial Rookie Ace Bailey

After 18 seasons in the NBA, Kevin Durant is no stranger to trash talk. Whether it’s fans taking shots at him online or players trying to psych him out during games, Durant has heard it all and responded to it all.

This week, a viral clip shows Durant having a verbal exchange with Utah Jazz rookie Ace Bailey. Given their massive discrepancy in age and professional experience, the Houston Rockets superstar urged Bailey to know his place in the NBA’s pecking order.

“You’re new here. You brand new here, boy,” Durant tells Bailey in the clip. “Why ‘yo a** talkin? Sit your a** down.”

This Durant tirade came right before he shot free throws in a preseason matchup between the Rockets and the Jazz on Wednesday. Durant ended up scoring 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field as the Rockets defeated the Jazz 140-127.

There are layers to this interaction between Durant and Bailey. For one, the former Rutgers standout actually outscored KD by five points in this game. Bailey went 2-for-5 from beyond the arc while Durant made just one of his two outside attempts.

There’s also the fact that Durant was all praises for Bailey in the lead-up to the 2025 NBA Draft. Back in late June, the two-time NBA champion gave the young man his flowers for a skill set that they happen to have in common.

“It's insane the shots he can make over multiple people at that length. It's incredible to watch,” Durant said of Bailey. “He's a problem. I can't wait to see his career grow.”

Funnily enough, Durant's words turned out to be prophetic as Bailey has shown how talented he can be against NBA competition. This is a welcome change of scenery for Bailey, of course, as his offseason has been dominated by reports that he refused to work out with certain NBA teams before the NBA Draft. Allegedly, Bailey wanted to force his way to the Washington Wizards, who owned the No. 6 pick.

The teenage prospect, however, ended up getting selected by the Jazz at No. 5. As fate would have it, Utah’s first opponent featured the all-time great that he once compared himself to in terms of midrange mastery.

After the Rockets’ 13-point win over the Jazz, Durant went on to praise Bailey as a “dynamic player” who is expected to have a “big career.” Those words are certainly nice to hear in a post-game interview, but, in the heat of competition, KD was singing a vastly different tune as he stared down the feisty newcomer.