"Another terrible analogy from a hatin old head that can't accept that we making more bread than them" - Kevin Durant fires back at Charles Barkley's comments on him having to win a championship as the "bus driver"
Charles Barkley's earlier comments on "Get Up" earned a rather direct response from Kevin Durant. While beef between NBA players hasn't been an unknown phenomenon in the NBA, the development of this situation has been quite drastic.
Durant isn't known to pull punches when responding to critiques about his career. In this regard, Durant and Charles Barkley haven't had the best relationship either.
The most recent addition to their ongoing beef stems from comments Barkley made when he appeared on ESPN's "Get Up".
The Hall of Famer had a rather negative take on Durant's legacy as he spoke about the superstar needing to win the title as "the guy." He said:
"Before KD gets all that great respect from all the old heads, he's going to have to win a championship as "the guy," as the bus driver. That team [Golden State] had already won a championship, so no disrespect.
"That's just a fact. But until he is "the guy" on a championship team, we're not ever going to give him the respect he probably deserves.
"The game hasn't changed. Kobe said it. LeBron said it. We going to hold him to the same high standard."
.@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.” https://t.co/RAbay2toRy
New Orleans Pelicans guard and ESPN correspondent CJ McCollum did eventually offer a take of his own that supported Durant's legacy.
However, the superstar didn't need anyone to do the talking for him. In response to the post, Kevin Durant fired back at Charles Barkley with a tweet of his own.
"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."
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 twitter.com/getupespn/stat…
Durant's response generated quite the buzz on social media. With Shaquille O'Neal stepping in to respond as well, the situation has escalated quite drastically.
Kevin Durant under fire?
Since the Golden State Warriors emerged as NBA champions, Kevin Durant has fallen under some pretty heavy fire. With several basketball pundits taking shots at Durant's legacy, the superstar lashing out comes as no surprise.
The drama surrounding the Warriors' title justifies this narrative, however. While Durant joined the Dubs and enjoyed wildly successful years with them, the team looked desolate in their seasons without him.
However, with this win, Golden State have made the 33-year old look like a transitional piece. By winning the title without him, the Dubs genuinely hurt Durant's reputation.
"Yes, the GSW title did impact Kevin Durant's legacy negatively. Nobody is talking about KD being top 10. A year ago, most people had KD ahead of Steph. ... It has hurt his legacy a bit. The way to make up those points is to go out & do it in Brooklyn." — @Chris_Broussard https://t.co/u08zOh063o
I been dead since July 4th 2016, but congrats to the dubs and my boy Steezy, a Fillmore legend, man been waitin his whole life for a parade on market st. twitter.com/feltbot/status…
While KD's value on the floor remains unmatched, his legacy has definitely taken a hit. To make matters worse, Durant was swept in the first-round of the playoffs and the team that beat him lost to the Warriors.
In this regard, the recent conversations about his legacy could've also come as a bit of an annoyance to the superstar.
The upcoming season will present a huge challenge for Durant. With the pressure of performing well to protect his legacy, it will be interesting to see what the former champion can produce.