A heated exchange between Kevin Durant and Charles “Chuck” Barkley has recently been making headlines and getting the attention of the NBA community. In addition to his earlier Twitter response, Durant had more to say about Chuck.
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In the aftermath of the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round playoff loss, Durant has been the focus of Barkley’s attention as the Boston Celtics completely shut him down and swept the series. Following Durant’s poor performance, Barkley shared his two cents.
Barkley suggested that Durant should have remained with the Golden State Warriors for the ride to the championship, despite him winning two titles in 2017 and 2018. Barkley argued that Durant also should not be the team leader after the Warriors won their first championship since he left.
“All this sh*t is nasty, another terrible analogy from a hating old head that can’t accept that we making more bread than them. It’s just timing Chucky, don’t hate the playa,” Durant’s tweet reads.
Despite sharing his thoughts on social media, Durant elaborated further.
On Apple Podcast “The ETCs with Kevin Durant and Eddie Gonzalez”, Durant said, “Bus riders, bus drivers, like, what does that even mean? We play a team game, I thought, at the end of the day. And we all played with great players, but I feel like I can stand out among any player. I don’t have to minimize myself even for great players.”
Barkley’s analogy of Durant riding the bus didn’t make sense to Durant as he played a lot of minutes and scored many points for that team. He continued that he doesn’t need legendary players to earn respect and validate his abilities.
“Then you say I won’t get respect from the legends. Like, what legends? What group of legends are you talking about? Who? ‘Cause every time I run into a legend, I get nothing but love,” he said.
“What are you talking about? Who was the group of guys that I’m supposed to go and have a conversation to ask if I can get respect from? It’s just a bunch of s**t that you make up. Bus riders, bus drivers. Bro, I played a lot of minutes, I shot a lot of shots, I made a lot of shots, what you talking about?”
Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal also stepped in to help Barkley, empathizing with his situation. After teaming up with Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, Shaq asserted that Durant had an “easier” path.
During his three years with the Warriors, Durant won two titles. In both years, he also won the MVP award in the finals.
Durant’s future in Brooklyn Nets
Even though Durant is involved in an exchange with Barkley, this offseason may surprise fans. To decide his future, Durant monitors events in Brooklyn, according to reports.
Earlier this year, Durant extended his contract with the franchise for four years, which lasts until 2026. If things don’t go as planned, the two-time NBA champion may request a trade. Online sportsbooks have the Nets at +800 to win the 2022-2023 NBA championship.
Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving’s rumored inability to finalize a deal with the Nets may have influenced his choice. Durant is expected to hunt for a new deal elsewhere if Irving rejects his player option.