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Kevin Durant-Charles Barkley beef, explained: Why Suns star will 'never respect' comments from TNT analyst

Jordan Greer

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Kevin Durant-Charles Barkley beef, explained: Why Suns star will 'never respect' comments from TNT analyst image

Kevin Durant's most prominent rival has never actually faced him on the court. Yes, we're talking about Charles Barkley.

The Suns star and TNT analyst have traded barbs throughout their careers with arguments largely centered around Durant's decision to join a loaded Warriors team in 2016. Despite the fact that Durant won two championships and Finals MVP awards with Golden State, Barkley has often referred to Durant as a "bus rider" rather than a "bus driver."

Barkley and Durant recently rekindled their feud by throwing more verbal jabs at each other.

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Kevin Durant-Charles Barkley beef, explained

On a March episode of "The ETCs Podcast" with Eddie Gonzalez, Durant addressed the "bus rider vs. bus driver" narrative, saying that it only gained traction because it was specifically about him. He praised Barkley for his playing career, but he felt that his comments were "corny."

"He's a f—ing legend that I've got nothing but respect for, and when I look up, I'm gonna play with pride knowing that he put blood, sweat and tears into this organization," Durant said of Barkley, who was a four-time All-Star with the Suns. "So, that ain't got nothing to do with how he is as an analyst, though. Like, I don't agree with how he approaches the game as a Hall of Famer.

"His game as an analyst — I don't really f— with your approach. That's my opinion on you, just like your opinion on us."

Later that month, Barkley offered yet another critique of Durant during an interview on "60 Minutes." Barkley told CBS reporter Jon Wertheim that Durant is a "great player" but "very sensitive."

"He's part of that generation who think he can't be criticized," Barkley said. "He's never looked in the mirror and said, 'Man, was that a fair criticism?'"

Unsurprisingly, Durant had a sharp response on Twitter.

He said that he will "never respect" Barkley's opinion of him and seemed to agree with another tweet claiming that Barkley had crossed a line. Rich Kleiman, Durant's longtime friend and business partner, also called out Barkley for his lack of "respect."

Who will fire the next shot in this beef?

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.