NBA legend Charles Barkley has had a lot to say about Kevin Durant over the years. After he joined the Warriors in 2016, Barkley was among the most vocal about how it would impact KD’s legacy and he even went so far as to question Durant’s leadership by comparing his time with the Warriors to riding a bus.
“I try to tell y’all, all these bus riders, they don’t mean nothing to me,” said Barkley. “If you ain’t driving the bus, don’t walk around talking about you a Champion. If you’re riding the bus, I don’t wanna hear it. All these guys walking around with Championship rings, y’all bus riders. When you the bus driver and you get all that pressure when you have to play well or you’re gonna get the blame, that’s a different animal.”
When Durant joined the Suns this season, Barkley made a similar analogy to explain what Durant has to prove in terms of being the leader of his own team and Durant has actually responded several times already. But recently, KD challenged that narrative again in an expletive-laced statement on the ‘Boardroom’ podcast.
“Why is that analogy even brought up for teams?” Durant said on the Boardroom. ”Like, we ain’t on no f*****g bus. I feel like the only reason that kept traction was because of me specifically. If it was about any other player, that s**t wouldn’t have even hit like that. But Charles Barkley said that about me and like I said, disrespecting my game is a part of the storyline. So that’s gon’ hit for my storyline more than anything.”
.@KDTrey5 on Charles Barkley:
"He's a fucking legend that I've got nothing but respect for… I'm gonna play with pride knowing that he put blood, sweat and tears into this organization. … As an analyst, I don't really fuck with your approach."
📺: https://t.co/gnVlNwemcP pic.twitter.com/ZXtielFH3S
— Boardroom (@boardroom) March 15, 2023
As a fellow Suns rep, Durant was trying his best to respect Barkley and his view on superstardom in the NBA, but KD just isn’t rocking with his take.
No matter who is the bus driver or bus rider for the Suns, Durant’s resume speaks for itself and he has nothing left to prove if you look at his total body of work. Even now, at 34 years old, he makes his team better and his performance continues to rank right up near the top among the best players in the game.
Durant Is Facing Pressure To Win Another Title
While Durant has no doubts about his role on his new team, there is no question that he’s facing some major pressure to win another championship. After going from Brooklyn to Phoenix without anything besides a fat contract to show for his post-Warriors career, Durant is in a position now to win it all and he cannot let the opportunity slip by.
Of course, winning it all in Phoenix, and doing what Barkley never could, would be the ultimate revenge for the 2x Finals MVP.
Source: fadeawayworld.net
