Kevin Durant is a legend of the game and made the 14th All-Star game of his career this year, tied for seventh-most in NBA history. While he’s still competing alongside LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Durant is regarded as one of the greatest of this era. Despite that, Durant was criticized by Charles Barkley on the TNT All-Star Game broadcast, who called him a follower and not a leader.
“Booker has to be your mental leader and your vocal leader. No disrespect to Kevin Durant, he’s a follower, he’s not a leader. He’s proven that in all his spots. Booker is a hell of a player, he’s going to have to take the initiative to take this Sun’s team to another level. Kevin’s a hell of a player, I don’t wanna say anything bad about him. I said the same thing about Boston, one of you guys has to step forward. For Phoenix to be successful, I think it has to be Booker.”
“Kevin's a follower. He's not a leader. He's proven that on all of his stops.” 😳
– Charles Barkley on Kevin Durant
(h/t @NBA_NewYork )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 19, 2024
This was uncalled for by Barkley. Even though he’s repeatedly saying he isn’t attacking Durant and respects his game, saying that about a player with Durant’s stature is a little unseemly. Doing it on the live broadcast of a nationally televised All-Star game is even weirder, as there’s no way for anyone to not consider that a shot at Durant.
The praise on Devin Booker was fair, as Booker could end up being the No. 1 on this team, but to dismiss Durant as a leader with everything he’s achieved in the NBA was unfair by Charles.
KD is averaging 28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists this season, being the most available star out of the Suns’ big three while adjusting his game to even play center for extended minutes in Phoenix.
Can Kevin Durant Lead The Suns?
Similar to his stop in Golden State, Durant joined the Suns with an established guard people expect to be the leader of the team. Booker had led the Suns to a Finals run in 2021, but he did meltdown in 2022 against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. Booker needed a star like KD next to him just as much as KD needed a situation like Phoenix after his stint with Brooklyn.
Barkley’s criticism isn’t incorrect, as KD has proven at previous stops that he tends to leave when things get hairy. But he’s done everything the right way since joining the Suns last year and has helped the team be looked at as a contender around the NBA. His experience and complementary play style mean he might be the biggest difference-maker when it comes to winning or losing a playoff series.
Durant wants to be appreciated as one of the GOATs of basketball, but people like Barkley who look at KD this way will always question his status among the greats. The only way for KD to shut them up is by being the leader and bringing Phoenix its first-ever NBA Championship, something Barkley couldn’t do.
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