In a shocking turn of events, the most online NBA player is using social media to beef with one of the most outspoken NBA analysts.
On Tuesday morning, Kevin Durant posted four photos of Charles Barkley alongside prominent teammates that the Round Mound of Rebound played with throughout this career. The first photo was of Barkley, Scottie Pippen and Hakeem Olajuwon on the Rockets. The second photo was of Barkley, Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. The third was from Barkley’s time with the 76ers, which showed him alongside Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Moses Malone and Julius Erving. The fourth was from an All-Star game alongside Cheeks and Erving.
One of the Instagram Story photos included the caption, “Where would chuck (sic) be without the big homies.”
That’s in direct response to what Barkley said on “Inside the NBA” in the days leading up to, and on the day of, the Nets’ elimination from the postseason via a four-game Boston Celtics sweep. Barkley really kicked things off with a metaphor about NBA players on a bus, when he was asked about Durant’s relatively poor playoff performances.
“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 want to hear it,” Barkley said.
He then took things a step further, saying he did not think Durant was the best player on the Golden State Warriors during the team’s two championships with KD. When fellow analyst Kenny Smith pressed Barkley on this, the hall of famer retorted, “He got MVP. He wasn’t the best player. Iguodala wasn’t the best player, he got MVP.”
It’s worth noting that Durant’s two Finals MVPs did come with some incredible stat lines. In 2017, he put up 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals, while shooting 55.6% from the field and 47.4% from three. He also became just the eighth person in NBA history to average 35 points a game in the Finals. In 2018, he averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists while shooting 52.6% from the field, 40.9% from three (bouncing back from a 1-for-7 night in Game 1) and 96.3% from the free throw line. Cynics will point out how that might be inflated by having Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the floor, but those aren’t stats that just anyone could put up.
Barkley did clarify later that Durant “was a very important part of them winning those two championships” in Golden State, and didn’t think the Nets forward was a “freeloader,” as some understandably implied from his past statement. Still, the blow wasn’t softened by much, as he noted Durant wasn’t fulfilling his responsibilities as a team leader by having bad games in this playoffs.
Durant made his point and it caught the attention of many NBA fans. Regardless of whether you think it’s funny or outright annoying that he’s taking the battle with Barkley to social media, he’s certainly committed to being very online. It also seems like he’s ready for this dispute to continue into TNT’s next telecast.
At least this way Durant might get one win this postseason.
