Nets news: Charles Barkley rips 'bus rider' Kevin Durant for Warriors rings

Charles Barkley called Kevin Durant a 'bus rider' and questioned the Brooklyn Nets star's titles with the Golden State Warriors.

Kevin Durant‘s legacy has become a point of contention among NBA fans throughout this year's playoffs, as he's failed to lead the Brooklyn Nets to even a single win against the Boston Celtics through the first three games of their opening round series.

Durant has not looked like his usual self in the series, prompting Charles Barkley to make a scalding hot take about the Nets star on Sunday. During TNT's NBA Tip-Off, Barkley referred to Durant as a “bus rider,” claiming he never led a team to a championship and took the easy way out to earn his rings with the Golden State Warriors.

“All these bus riders, they don't mean nothing to me. If you ain't driving the bus, don't walk around talking about ‘you a champion.' If you're riding the bus, I don't want to hear it.”

Kenny Smith: "You don't think [Kevin Durant] was the best player on the Warriors?"

Charles Barkley: "No, I do not."

Kenny: "He was the best player."

Chuck: "He got MVP. He wasn't the best player. Iguodala wasn't the best player, he got MVP."

😳😳https://t.co/LOjnZG2pT2

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 24, 2022

Barkley was referring to the Nets star's inability to win a championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite being the bus driver for OKC, Durant could only lead the Thunder as far as the Western Conference title. While he earned NBA Finals MVP honors during his championship wins with the Warriors, Barkley still considers KD's efforts in The Bay to be that of a bus rider, not a driver. Now with the Nets, Barkley thinks Durant is proving this.

“No, I do not (think he was the best player on the Warriors),” said Barkley. “You don't join no 73-win team and talk about you were the best player.”

In perhaps the biggest surprise of the whole segment, Shaquille O'Neal seemed to be in support of Barkley's argument, a rare occurrence for the NBA on TNT crew.

With the Nets on the brink of elimination against the Celtics, Durant will be seeking to change the narrative in Game 4 and prove he's more than capable of being the no. 1 option on a championship team.