Charles Barkley and Kevin Durant were at it again recently, after the Hall of Famer claimed that Durant is sensitive.
Barkley’s comments led to KD firing back at him by stating he’d never respect anything that comes out of his mouth. Stephen A. Smith has now chimed in on the situation and he is siding with Durant here.
“So when my man, my brother, my friend Charles Barkley goes on the air and he says Kevin Durant is too sensitive – well, yes,” Smith said on his Know Mercy podcast. “But he has a right to be, especially when you call him a bus rider, as Charles Barkley did.”
Barkley famously used that bus rider analogy on Durant, stating that he wasn’t the one driving the bus when he was with the Golden State Warriors and Durant had ripped him for it last month. Smith disagreed with Barkley’s opinion and said he won’t disrespect Durant.
“I still think it’s kind of wrong to call KD that. Basically riding the coattails of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. They rode him too. It ain’t like they didn’t want him, or go to Long Island to beg him to come to the Bay Area. You ain’t doing that for no bus rider. I’m not disrespecting Kevin Durant that way.”
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As Smith says, the Warriors desperately wanted him to join and they ultimately relied on him to get them over the line in those two NBA Finals. Smith also understands why Durant reacts in the manner he does, as he would be offended by the disrespect coming his way.
Jay Williams Had An Issue With Charles Barkley Calling Kevin Durant Sensitive
Some former players have taken shots at Barkley for going after Durant, with Gilbert Arenas saying that Barkley used to respond in a similar manner when he was criticized during his playing career. He added that some of the old heads forget who they were at a younger age.
Jay Williams also came to the defense of Durant and today’s players, in general. Williams pointed to how Michael Jordan refuses to speak to Barkley to this day, just because he had criticized Jordan for the way he ran the Charlotte franchise. He feels players from all generations can be accused of being sensitive, which is true,
Source: fadeawayworld.net