Kevin Durant has responded to some pointed criticism from Charles Barkley. Barkley questioned Durant’s management throughout a TruTV different broadcast of the All-Star Recreation.
“No disrespect to Kevin. Kevin’s a follower,” Barkley stated. “He’s not a pacesetter. He’s confirmed that on all his stops. [Devin] Booker’s a hell of a participant, additionally. I feel he’s going to must take the initiative and take this Suns workforce to the subsequent degree.
“… However I stated the identical factor with Boston: One in every of your guys has to step ahead, he has to step ahead, and for me, for Phoenix to achieve success, it must be Booker.”
Durant has since responded in an interview for Boardroom.
“I don’t really feel like I would like folks to name me a pacesetter, however I additionally don’t need folks to say I’m not one both, as a result of they don’t see what goes on behind the scenes of what I speak about or my intentions or relationships that I’ve constructed with my teammates and my assist employees,” Durant stated.
Suns head coach Frank Vogel has additionally defended Durant.
“He positively leads by instance, however he additionally speaks up when he must,” Vogel stated on Bickley & Marotta. “Not each participant goes to be a rah-rah sort. Each participant leads in their very own manner.
“It’s a must to lead inside your character. I discovered that as a coach a very long time in the past, that I can’t are available and attempt to be Rick Pitino, as a lot as he impressed me to get into teaching. Our personalities are completely different.”
Barkley has lengthy been important of Durant. In an interview with CBS in March 2023, Barkley referred to as him “very delicate” and “a part of a era that may’t be criticized.”
Durant is clearly bored with being referred to as out by Barkley, and it was solely a matter of time earlier than he clapped again.
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