As if the 2025-26 NBA season anticipation wasn’t high, Netflix’s Starting 5 has added to the excitement. The recent release of the second season has provided fans with never-before-seen content involving their favorite players. Two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant is one of 5 players to feature this season, and he has made the show all the more interesting.
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A lot has changed in Durant’s career since his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was once one of the league’s universally loved players. However, that would all change following his decision to join the Golden State Warriors.
Durant has often been criticized for moving teams, which eventually helped him with his first NBA championship. NBA legend Charles Barkley is one of those who have been the most vocal in this matter. In 2022, Barkley went on a passionate rant targeted toward Durant as a championship-calibre player.
“I tried to tell y’all, all these bus riders don’t mean nothing to me,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA. “If you didn’t drive the bus, don’t walk around talking about you’re a champion.”
Three years have gone by since Barkley made such comments, but Durant hasn’t forgotten. During the first episode of the Starting 5 season 2, Durant opened up about his time with the Warriors. In the process, he finally responded to Barkley and let the former NBA star have a piece of his mind.
“He never knew what it’s like to remove your ego so you can go out there and help a city, a town win a championship,” Durant proclaimed. “It was all about him. His whole life, his whole career.”
Those words hold immense weight, but this isn’t anything new for Durant. In recent years, the 15-time All-Star has leaned into the public perception of him as an anti-hero and Barkley knows that far too well.
This is only the most recent string in the relationship between the pair. Barkley understands Durant’s greatness but is unable to view the superstar as a leader. As early as 2024, he had stated, “No disrespect to Kevin. Kevin’s a follower. He’s not a leader. He’s proven that on all his stops.”
That was before Durant landed with the Houston Rockets. There isn’t a question whether Durant is the best player on the team anymore. Although the Rockets have great talent, their core remains young. So, this is the perfect opportunity for Durant to shut Barkley up once and for all. Regardless, it remains irrefutable that he’s one the greatest scorers of all time and has had a Fall of Fame career.
