Kevin Durant just got swept by the Celtics and it has put him front and center under the spotlight of scrutiny.
Most recently, he got into it with Charles Barkley, who called the 2x Champion a “bus rider” in the aftermath of his latest straight playoff loss.
“Please don’t tell me you’re a great, great player and you’re averaging 20. I don’t think I ever played in the playoffs and averaged 20,” said Barkley. “I don’t wanna bad mouth a dude but you guys always talk about Championship stuff. I try to tell y’all, all these bus riders, they don’t mean nothing to me. 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.”
To Chuck, being a “bus driver” isn’t just about taking your team to a Championship. It means shouldering the burden of leading your team and taking responsibility for failures throughout the season.
Of course, Kevin Durant wasn’t about to let Barkley come at him like that. After hearing what the basketball legend had to say, he posted a pair of photos on Instagram that featured Barkley during his playing days with Scottie Pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon.
The whole thing has become a pretty big story in the NBA world, and it’s not over yet. On Tuesday evening, Barkley had the chance to respond to KD’s post and he did just that.
“You think they put that play-in banner up yet? Listen, I could put up stuff about him [Durant] and Russell and James and Serge Ibaka. Listen, KD’s a great player. Only point I was making: life is different when you’re driving the bus.”
Barkley also spoke about what it means to be a Champion and admitted that his lack of a title keeps him from sitting with some of the other All-Time greats.
“When I’m in the room with the other Hall of Famers, I don’t get to sit at their table. That’s the way it is. They are Champions.”
"He's sensitive Cindy"
—Charles Barkley to KD#NBATwitter https://t.co/djn5HQ9Pk1 pic.twitter.com/0PJM36EZox
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) April 26, 2022
Chuck responds to Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/bqyhddFUmv
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 26, 2022
Barkley never won a Championship during his career, but he was almost always the bus driver for his teams. In Philly and Phoenix, he was the one keeping them relevant.
Outside of Golden State, Kevin Durant hasn’t really had success in the postseason. Besides one Finals trip in 2012, his stints in OKC and Brooklyn are mostly underwhelming.
Until KD can prove he can lead his own team to a Championship, all the noise and doubts will continue to exist.
