Kevin Durant is one of the greatest small forwards to have ever played the game of basketball, and there’s no doubt that when he retires he will be a Hall of Famer. However, there are a lot of people that still believe that he has something to prove during his career.
One of those people is Charles Barkley. He has recently claimed that Kevin Durant still needs to win a championship as a “bus driver” to earn the “respect he probably deserves” from older players.
.@CJMcCollum is disagreeing with Charles Barkley's take on Kevin Durant needing to earn respect from the old heads by winning a title as the bus driver.
“[Kevin Durant] was the bus driver of that team. … His resume speaks for himself. There’s no blemishes on it.” pic.twitter.com/RAbay2toRy
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 20, 2022
Before KD gets that great respect from the old heads, he still has to win a championship as a bus driver. He joined a team that already won a championship. No disrespect, that’s just a fact. Until he is “the guy” on a championship team, we’re not gonna ever him the respect that he probably deserves.
Kevin Durant has roasted Charles Barkley for that take, saying that Barkley’s statement was a “terrible analogy, and called him a “hatin old head”. He also suggested that Barkley is mad because players today make more money than he did during his playing career.
All this shit is nasty, another terrible analogy from a hatin old head that can’t accept that we making more bread than them. It’s just timing Chucky, don’t hate the playa https://t.co/43BWSuijjV
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 20, 2022
All this shit is nasty, another terrible analogy from a hatin old head that can’t accept that we making more bread than them. It’s just timing Chucky, don’t hate the playa
If Kevin Durant were to win another championship during his career as “the guy” then that would certainly bolster his legacy. With that being said, Kevin Durant deserves his respect, as he did get two Finals MVPs with the Golden State Warriors. He was generally viewed as the best player during those two championship runs in 2017 and 2018.
Perhaps we’ll see Kevin Durant get more respect from older players in the future. He is a unique talent, and some players view him as the GOAT due to his ability. The Brooklyn Nets should in theory be a championship-caliber team if they retain Kyrie Irving in free agency, and hopefully, Kevin Durant gets a chance to compete for a ring next season.
