Charles Barkley has always been very critical of Kevin Durant. The NBA Hall of Famer has never backed down from speaking his true feelings about the 14-time All-Star, and Barkley is even more judgmental of Durant since he plays for the Phoenix Suns.
When Durant was traded to the Suns, the rest of the league was put on notice since Phoenix and new owner Mat Ishbia were going all-in on pursuing a championship. After all, this team came so close to winning a title in 2021, which is why pulling off a move for Durant was monumental. However, success isn’t necessarily a word that best describes the product the Suns put on the court during the 2023-24 season, as they were ousted from the playoffs in the first round.
Phoenix has added talent to their roster this offseason, and they still have their three-headed monster of Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. This is why many still believe that the Suns can be title favorites in the West. At the same time, Barkley is one of the few who still doubts his former club, especially since he claims Durant isn’t the leader his team needs.
“I don’t think Kevin Durant wants to be a leader. He just wants to play basketball, and that’s fine, but somebody on that team has to step up and be the leader,” Barkley told FOX Sports 910 AM in Phoenix. “It worked in Golden State because they had Steph Curry and Draymond Green to lead. But in Phoenix, someone needs to take that role, and in my opinion, it has to be Devin Booker. You can’t have a team without a leader.
“Kevin just wants to hoop, and that’s fine, but Devin has to take on that leadership role if they want to win a championship.”
When two or more All-Stars are on a team, sometimes it is hard to pinpoint certain leadership roles and decide who ends up being the one that defers to the other. Last season, Beal ended up being the one to take a step back in order to allow Durant and Booker to find more success. Although he is a three-time All-Star and an elite-level scoring weapon, Beal recognized that his team would find more success if he was to be the third guy offensively instead of the guy for the Suns.
Those are decisions that leaders make, which is why Barkley explained that he wants to see more from Durant, and especially Booker, during the 2024-25 season as far as being a leader goes.
“You don’t get to pick and choose, ‘I don’t want to be a leader.’ You have to be a leader. But Kevin has stated that, and he gets mad anytime someone says that, but it’s got to be Devin Booker in my opinion.”
Interestingly enough, both Durant and Booker were a part of the Team USA gold medal team in this year’s Olympics. Durant, who is a proven champion and future Hall of Famer, has found success and been a leader with multiple teams throughout his career. Booker, on the other hand, has spent his entire career with the Suns and is still reaching the pinnacle of his career.
This is the main motivation behind Barkley challenging him to become the leader that the Suns need. After all, he was the main reason why Phoenix made the 2021 NBA Finals not too long ago.
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