No one would deny that Kevin Durant is one of the greatest players of this era. The 36-year-old superstar has done it all in his 17 NBA seasons. He’s won two championships, he’s earned an MVP badge, and he’s been selected to the All-Star team 15 times. Yet there seems to be unhappiness about KD. One that is hard to pin down. At least, that’s what Charles Barkley seems to think. He spoke about Durant on a recent chat with Sports Illustrated.
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Durant is in the middle of another rough patch, this time with the Phoenix Suns. On paper, the Suns team was supposed to be a contender, especially with the trio of KD, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. But in reality, it’s felt like more of the same: underwhelming results, chemistry that never quite clicks, and this year, an all-time crazy phenomenon: missing the playoffs. The disappointing season is most likely the nail in the coffin for Durant’s Phoenix run.
“Kevin Durant is a great player, but he’s interesting because he’s never happy,” Barkley claimed during his interview. “I’m trying to figure out why he’s unhappy. You talk about winning at life? He’s really won at life but he’s never happy.”
It could be because his legacy could have been as iconic as Jordan, Magic, or LeBron. He had a chance to take the Brooklyn Nets to the show in 2021, but the absence of Kyrie Irving and his foot being on the line ended in heartbreak after Milwaukee bested them in the Eastern Conference Finals. “At some point, he’s got to realize that he’s part of the problem,” added Barkley.
Chuck does have good instincts, but a therapist, he is not. If there is unhappiness with Durant, it might just be because he’s closing in on his final years in the NBA. Closing in on the final years of the game he’s loved for so long. If you watched any of the Court of Gold, Durant stands like a warrior who has slayed a 1000 dragons and dedicated his life to the battlefield.
Is he unhappy? We’ll never know unless he tells someone. But it would be wrong to assume that he isn’t aware of it, like Chuck suggested.
KD and Chuck do have a history
Barkley’s criticism of Durant isn’t new. He once referred to KD as a “bus rider,” meaning he wasn’t able to get things done when he was the focus of a team, and only got his rings because he went to the Warriors. Durant didn’t take too kindly too that at all.
“What does that even mean? It’s just a bunch of sh*t you just make up,” a fired up KD stated back to Barkley in an interview. He later reminded Chuck that he had sneaker deals and his MVP trophy before he even joined the Dubs in 2017. “Man, I had shoes, I had MVPs before I met these guys.”
This might just be another case of an old timer picking on a guy younger than him because of the accolades he achieved.
