You don't need to explain anything to describe the commentary of Charles Barkley. He tells it like it is without compromise, regardless of whether anyone likes it or not. One of those who didn't like it was Kevin Durant when he was playing for the Golden State Warriors.

In the latest episode of the Netflix Docuseries Starting Five, Durant looked back at a comment Barkley made in 2022. Essentially, he criticized Durant for not taking on the role of a leader enough and therefore, he shouldn't necessarily claim the mantle of champion.

“If you ain't driving the bus, don't walk around talking about you a champion” Barkley said.

In the series, Durant didn't hold back.

“I done rode the bus, I done filled the gas tank up, I was the gas, I was the wheels, the axle, the brakes.”

Durant had played for the Warriors from 2016 to 2019. During that time, he played in four NBA Finals and won two championships in 2017 and 2018. In both of those years, Durant was named the Finals MVP.

Article Continues Below

After 2019, Durant was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. In 2022, the Warriors won the NBA title without Durant by defeating the Boston Celtics in six games.

Kevin Durant did his thing with the Warriors

Say what you will about Durant, but no one can deny that he had quite the impact on Golden State. He didn't win those Finals MVPs for nothing.

Over the course of his three years, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. Furthermore, the Warriors won 154 out of 208 games he played in.

During the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, Durant tore his Achilles.  However, the combination of him, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and others were a force to be reckon with during that stretch.

After all, they did win a record setting 73 games during the 2016 season. So in the grand scheme of things, Durant kept the bus rolling.