Charles Barkley is going to tell it like it is, and he said Sunday that players are a bit more sensitive in today’s NBA than they were in the past.
In an interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS, Barkley was asked about his thoughts on Kevin Durant. The two have had words for each other over the last few years. Durant left the Golden State Warriors to join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, and he requested a trade from Brooklyn this past summer, which was later honored before the league’s trade deadline. Durant was dealt to the Phoenix Suns in February.
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Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
“He’s very sensitive. Great player,” Barkley said of Durant. “He’s part of that generation who think he can’t be criticized. He’s never looked in the mirror and said, ‘Man, was that a fair criticism?’”
CBS’ Jon Wertheim asked whether Barkley believes players from the current game are more sensitive to criticism than those Barkley played with.
“That would be (an) understatement,” Barkley said.
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Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
Barkley and Durant traded barbs earlier his month after the former Phoenix Suns star said that Durant, the current Suns star, gets mad when he points out that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant went to earn the respect of the “old heads” during their careers and Durant has yet to do that.
“He’s an all-time great. But when it comes to being mentioned with some of these other guys, he’s going to have to win a championship where he’s the leader of the team and he’s the best player,” Barkley said.
Durant said Barkley’s critiques weren’t going to change how he approaches the game.
Barkley said on “60 Minutes” he wasn’t going to mince words when he analyzes the game and gives his opinion.
Mar 5, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
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“Oh yeah, because the fan, the fans ain’t stupid. They just saw it. If I tell them that was a good game, they’re going to be like, ‘What the hell is Charles talking about?’”
