While commentating on the 2024 All-Star Game alongside Draymond Green, Charles Barkley sparked outrage following his comments on the 2014 MVP Kevin Durant. Though Barkley had several bold takes about players and teams throughout the game, his comments about Durant being a ‘follower’ stirred Gilbert Arenas to react to the same.
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Charles Barkley is a legend of the game and led the Suns team to the 1993 NBA Finals to face Michael Jordan and the Bulls. However, speaking about Kevin Durant during the broadcast, Chuck boldly claimed that the 2x NBA champion had no qualities of a leader. Instead, he called out Durant for being a ‘follower’ at every step of his career, forcing Devin Booker to step up for the Suns to contend for the postseason.
In a recent episode of the Gil’s Arena show, Gilbert Arenas lashed out at Barkley for his comments and questioned his career’s legacy in that manner. “When you call somebody a follower, not a leader, let us know which team that you lead or was leading,” said Arenas, referring to Barkley failing to win a ring with the Phoenix Suns in 1993 despite being the best player on the Suns squad.
“When you call somebody a follower, not a leader, let us know which team that you lead or was leading. Being the best player on the Suns, you didn’t lead.
Gilbert Arenas defends KD after Charles Barkley called him a “follower” pic.twitter.com/ymwDsQBTnT
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) February 20, 2024
Arenas also questioned Barkley’s legacy by highlighting his move to the Houston Rockets after failing to win a ring with the Phoenix Suns in the final years of his career. Agent Zero claimed that Barkley tried being like Michael Jordan for the Rockets in helping them to win their third ring when he joined the team in the 1996-97 season. In fact, Barkley’s next four seasons with the Rockets were his last chance to win a championship to tip off his otherwise illustrious career.
“The reason they failed was because they were overweight and out of shape,” said Arenas, claiming Charles Barkley failed to win championships because he failed to keep himself fit to be championship-worthy. Arenas added how Barkley’s hypocrisy showed when he blamed other players for being unfit or lacking leadership qualities while he himself failed to live up to both of these aspects throughout his career.
Though Arenas did not try to prove Barkley wrong, he attacked Barkley’s legacy through his take. It might seem like Chuck is trying to take unnecessary shots at KD with his comments, perhaps even reigniting the feud they once had.
How was Charles Barkley with the Houston Rockets?
Charles Barkley joined a veteran Houston Rockets team of two of the greatest NBA players, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. In his first season with the Rockets, Barkley went up to the Western Conference Finals and came crashing out after a 3-2 loss against the Utah Jazz.
In the next two seasons, the Jazz and the Lakers handed the Rockets first-round exits during playoffs, thus shattering all hopes for a championship for Barkley. The 1999-00 season was perhaps the final chance for Chuck to tip off his career with a ring. However, the Rockets finished 11th in the Western Conference, shattering their postseason expectations.
Charles Barkley was once teammates with Scottie Pippen during the 1998-99 single season. The beef between the two ignited when Chuck expressed his disappointment with Pippen wanting to leave just a year after arriving in Houston in an ESPN interview.
Barkley had greatly sacrificed his salary to create enough salary-cap room for the Rockets to acquire Pippen. However, replying to Barkley’s comments, Pippen snarkily remarked, “I wouldn’t give Charles Barkley an apology at gunpoint. He can never expect an apology from me. If anything, he owes me an apology for coming to play with his fat bu**.”
The beef continues to this day, with Pippen recently having taken a shot at Barkley’s toughness and leadership skills in an interview with GQ.
