“Bus Driver” Kevin Durant Demands Proof From Charles Barkley for Attacking LeBron James’ Legacy

After retiring from the court, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley took up the job as an NBA analyst and has always given his raw opinion on the active players. While he has praised several star athletes in the league, Barkley has also brutally criticized a few of them for one reason or the other. One such player is NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who has remained on Barkley’s bad books since his stint with the Golden State Warriors. After years of silence, the Phoenix Suns forward has finally fired back at Barkley for his LeBron James claims.

KD upset a significant number of people when he decided to join the Golden State Warriors. The majority of the NBA world spouted out harsh criticism at Durant for needing an already made-up strong team to win a championship ring. Among them, Barkley was arguably the most vocal about his disapproval of Durant’s choice, thus further straining their nonexistent relationship.

Kevin Durant confronts Charles Barkley for drawing comparisons

During a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, host Stephen A. Smith brought up Charles Barkley’s comments on Durant’s trade to the Warriors. The former Phoenix Suns superstar had claimed that the only reason KD won was that he was part of a ‘Super team’. Smith then asked Chuck to explain the difference between Durant’s move and LeBron James’ decision to join the Miami Heat.

In response, Barkley said, “Well, first of all, there is no difference but this is the problem. Kevin gets mad at me when I point this out. If you go back and look at LeBron, who I really admire and respect, he said this, I did not say this! He says, ‘I had to win a championship without Dwyane to get old heads’ respect’. Kobe Bryant says, ‘I have to win a championship without Shaq to get these old heads off my back’. I hold Kevin Durant to the same criteria.”

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Barkley’s comment snagged the attention of the 2x NBA champion who reposted the video on his Twitter handle. Durant questioned Chuck’s claims by stating in the caption that he never heard LeBron make any such statement. KD’s caption read, “I don’t remember bron saying this…somebody link me to the article.”

Barkley criticizes Durant for hoping on the championship bandwagon

The 34-year-old Texas alumna was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2007 where he stayed for almost a decade before joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016. At the time, the Warriors had a strong roster given that they had just won their first championship in four decades. KD then went on to win back-to-back championship titles the following years after which he announced that he would be signing with the Brooklyn Nets. After his four-year stint with the Nets, Durant was recently traded to the Phoenix Suns where he is hoping to win his third ring.

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As he has previously expressed time and again, Barkley did not approve of Durant’s need for a strong team to win a ring. He even went as far as to call him a ‘Bus Rider’ due to his inability of being a ‘Bus Driver’ and leading his team to victory on his own.