Kevin Durant hits back at Charles Barkley jibes on leadership & title chances
NBAKevin Durant set the record straight regarding media scrutiny revolving around his questionable leadership and its perceived impact on his championship outlook.
Phoenix Suns superstar, Durant, did not need a Twitter burner account when addressing naysayers in the media over their newest round of criticisms.
Durant took to his media platform, Boardroom, and candidly opened up about his reserved personality traits creating a misconception about his leadership abilities.
This came on the heels of TNT’s Charles Barkley and other pundits diminishing Durant’s ability to lead a team to a title as a clear cut No.1 option.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP let the basketball world in on what transpires when the cameras are not on with must-see comments.
Durant says personality not “fit for TV” causes speculation
Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman asked Durant why people don’t think he’s a fitting leader, which he responded to in length on Boardroom’s YouTube channel:
“I’m not as charismatic as my peers. I don’t have a personality that’s, like, fit for TV,” Durant said, before expounding further.
“I don’t feel like I want people to call me a leader. But I also don’t want people to say I’m not one either, because they don’t see what goes on behind-the-scenes of what I talk about or my intentions, or the relationships I’ve built with my teammates and support staff.
“But when guys like that say that, I just gotta chalk it up to them just not being aware. Push a narrative for myself.”
The “guys” Durant subbed include Barkley. During the All-Star break, the NBA Hall-of-Famer called Durant a “follower” and declared that his teammate, Devin Booker, needs to be the one to lead the Suns past a crowded Western Conference in order to reach the Finals, per Barstool Sports.
ESPN’s Shannon Sharpe eased up on the Durant disrespect by giving him some props in a recent episode of First Take.
Sharpe favored the 2024 All-Star to win one more championship while competing against Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James in the West.
Durant has two championships under his belt that no one can take away from him. While he shared the limelight with Curry on those championship Warriors teams, the Texas product put forth the more widely regarded noteworthy performances.
Since leaving Golden State, he has not approximated that level of success but has the chance to prove Barkley and his critics wrong this spring.