Charles Barkley and Kevin Durant have become one of the most interesting rivalries in today’s NBA.
Barkley has gone at KD multiple times over the past couple of years, and while he’s had a valid point from time to time, it just seems personal at this point.
Notably, Durant hasn’t backed down from the confrontation, either, constantly firing back at the Hall of Famer.
Recently, Barkley claimed that Durant couldn’t handle criticism and had zero accountability, while Durant replied that he was never going to respect him.
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
Needless to say, that prompted multiple responses on social media, with fans taking both sides and exposing their arguments about this situation.
Older players didn’t have to deal with social media. If they didn’t read the new paper or listen to the radio they didn’t know
— Chris (@powermoveschris) March 27, 2023
KD can't see any difference between how he won his rings compared to how Giannis won his? That's not criticism, that's reality. Nobody respecting these Super Team rings that KD Steph and Lebron have. Respected Ring <<<Super Team Ring(S). That's why MJ will always be The GOAT
— DogPolice Sports Gambling (@DogpoliceBets) March 27, 2023
Sensitive ✔️
Great player ✔️
Thinks he can’t be criticized ✔️What’s not accurate here?
— I Bleed Jets Green (@bleedjetsgreen) March 27, 2023
For a guy who played his entire career saying he didn’t care what anyone thought about him Charles Barkley sure spends A LOT of time being upset KD doesn’t care what he thinks about him
— zip file (@taxtherichjklol) March 27, 2023
Today's player faces more scrutiny because of the wider media coverage compared to past years. This is true.
Also true is that former players get criticized to the point of being dismissed ("plumbers") by the same media. And they got criticized while they were playing as well.— Midrangehoops (@midrangehoops) March 27, 2023
To be fair, Durant has never been able to handle criticism; that’s just a fact.
He’s not happy when he’s crossed, and he’ll go the extra mile to try and control everything in the organization.
But in Durant’s favor, one always has to take Barkley’s words with a grain of salt as well.
He’s not exactly objective when discussing modern-day players, and it’s evident that his confrontation with Durant is a personal matter.
Durant is undeniably one of the greatest players this game has ever seen, and he earned those two rings, even if he played for a superteam.
But he also needs to take a deep look in the mirror and deal with the fact that some people won’t like him, and that’s perfectly fine.
NEXT: Kevin Durant Responds To Charles Barkley's Claim About Him
