Former NBA star and current TNT personality Charles Barkley has never been shy to make his opinions about the NBA stars of today known.
He made his opinion on Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant very clear on Sunday night.
Barkley was asked how he felt about Durant on CBS’s 60 Minutes. While he recognized his greatness as a player, he proceeded to call the two-time NBA Champion “very sensitive” for his inability to take criticism.
“He’s very sensitive,” said Barkley of Durant. “Great player. He’s part of that generation who thinks he can’t be criticized. He’s never looked in the mirror and says ‘Man, is that a fair criticism?'”
Charles Barkley on Kevin Durant: "He's very sensitive. Great player. He's part of that generation who think he can't be criticized. He's never looked in the mirror and says 'Man, is that a fair criticism?'" pic.twitter.com/X16UpFXM7e
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 27, 2023
Barkley clearly feels like this is an issue that plagues most NBA players today. He went on to say that calling most players today sensitive “would be an understatement”.
This is far from the first time that Barkley has called out Durant in particular. The two have had a longstanding rivalry, mostly due to Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors back in 2016.
“You guys always talk about that championship stuff,” Barkley said of Durant last April. “I try to tell y’all, all these bus riders, they don’t mean nothing to me. If you ain’t driving the bus, don’t go around talking about you a champion. If you are riding the bus, I don’t want to hear it.”
In Barkley’s defense, Durant has been known to heavily engage with some of his critics instead of just letting it go. Regardless, it doesn’t seem like these two will be jovial with each other anytime soon.