TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley isn’t one to mince words and isn’t afraid to criticize those he feels deserve it.
The Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant on Sunday night and Durant has now decided to respond.
Barkley was asked about Durant during his wide-ranging interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes. While Barkley said he thinks Durant is a great player, he also said the two-time NBA Champion is “very sensitive” for his inability to take criticism.
“He’s very sensitive,” said Barkley of Durant. “Great player. He’s part of that generation who thinks he can’t be criticized. He’s never looked in the mirror and says ‘Man, is that a fair criticism?’”
It’s certainly not the first time Barkley has taken shots at Durant.
“You guys always talk about that championship stuff,” Barkley said of Durant last April. “I try to tell y’all, all these bus riders, they don’t mean nothing to me. If you ain’t driving the bus, don’t go around talking about you a champion. If you are riding the bus, I don’t want to hear it.”
Durant became aware of Barkley’s latest comments on Sunday and fired back some shots of his own.
“This ain’t gettin tiring chuck? I’ll never respect the words that come out ya mouth fam just deal with it,” wrote Durant on Twitter.
Something tells us the war of words is going to keep going from here…
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.