{"id":95029,"date":"2024-09-10T06:43:18","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T10:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=95029"},"modified":"2024-09-10T06:43:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T10:43:18","slug":"suns-charles-barkley-fires-kevin-durant-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/10\/suns-charles-barkley-fires-kevin-durant-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Hall Of Famer Fires At Suns\u2019 Kevin Durant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former Phoenix Suns cornerstone <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barklch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charles Barkley<\/a> is no stranger to controversy. One of the most outspoken media members in the sports industry, his candidness often leads to delight or displeasure.<\/p>\n<p>This week, Barkley sat down with Fox Sports 910\u2019s <em>Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B<\/em>, discussing myriad topics. Naturally, he was asked about the Suns. While the question was about whether Phoenix <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/28\/suns-make-decision-next-season-starting-lineup\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">adding two point guards<\/a> were good enough moves for them to reach the championship, he had a different issue on his mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey still got to figure out who the leaders on the team (are),\u201d Barkley says. \u201cAs I said last year and everybody got mad, Kevin Durant just wants to play basketball. He doesn\u2019t want to be a leader. It doesn\u2019t quite work like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Charles Barkley talks Tyreek Hill Arrest, Inside the NBA, Sports Betting, Team USA, &amp; MORE\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GaaNMSk5290?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt worked like that when you got Steph Curry and Draymond Green on your team\u2026,\u201d he continues. \u201cBut you have to have a leader on your team\u2026 Your team is going to follow your leader, good or bad\u2026 Kevin doesn\u2019t want to be leader even though he\u2019s a great player.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Charles Barkley Fires At Suns\u2019 Kevin Durant<\/h2>\n<p>NBA veterans and media members are often been slammed by players for denigrating comments. Durant is just one of the people who take exception to those individuals speaking on them. In fact, he\u2019s responded to this particular line of criticism from Barkley before.<\/p>\n<p>In February, Barkley described Durant as \u201ca follower\u2026 not a leader\u201d during a broadcast of the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo disrespect to Kevin. Kevin\u2019s a follower. He\u2019s not a leader,\u201d Barkley quipped.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Charles Barkley on the Suns leader: &#8220;I really wanted it to be KD but he&#8217;s not doing it. To me it&#8217;s gotta be Booker\u2026No disrespect to Kevin. Kevin&#8217;s a follower. He&#8217;s not a leader. He&#8217;s proven that on all of his stops\u2026&#8221; <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kVcJd0J7Rd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/kVcJd0J7Rd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA_NewYork\/status\/1759413427724791983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n\u201cHe\u2019s proven that on all his stops.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, Durant told AZ Central\u2019s Duane Rankin that Barkley doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s talking about. More than that, he doesn\u2019t even respect the Hall of Famer\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just feel like a lot of people that\u2019s on TV that don\u2019t ever come to the gym, don\u2019t ever come to games, it\u2019s hard for them to speak on what I do,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re not in here.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#8220;It&#8217;s just part of TV. They needed something to fill a segment up. So they talk about some negative shit, but if you&#8217;re not in the gym, I don&#8217;t respect your opinion if you&#8217;re not in the gym with me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Durant on Charles Barkley&#8217;s &#8220;follower&#8221; comments on leadership. <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Suns?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Suns<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9TdI5uZAms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/9TdI5uZAms<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DuaneRankin\/status\/1760441051825709484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 21, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just part of TV. They needed something to fill a segment up, so they talk about some negative s\u2014. But\u2026 I don\u2019t respect your opinion if you\u2019re not in the gym with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One can assume that Durant still feels the same way.<\/p>\n<h3>Is Kevin Durant A Leader?<\/h3>\n<p>When players like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wembavi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Wembanyama<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/edwaran01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Edwards<\/a> are itching to work with him, it\u2019s clear that Durant <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/16\/spurs-victor-wembanyama-details-1-on-1-with-youth-icon\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">is a mentor<\/a>. He doesn\u2019t have the commanding presence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a> or even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Draymond Green<\/a> in the huddle. However, his dedication to his craft speaks for itself, allowing him to lead by example. Someone who isn\u2019t going to practices, shootarounds, or games <em>would<\/em> find it difficult to see that.<\/p>\n<p>Barkley has a point too though. Championship-winning teams often have a vocal and emotional leader.<\/p>\n<p>Again, the Golden State Warriors have needed the push Green gives them. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers needed James to take the wheel. Before James was L.A.\u2019s top dog, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bryanko01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kobe Bryant<\/a>\u2019s fiery approach helped them win rings. The Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors have had multiple players in that role.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps Durant is a leader. Nonetheless, it wouldn\u2019t hurt for him to develop into a more assertive one. As Barkley says \u201cleadership is not for you, it\u2019s for those other guys\u2026 because they need somebody to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If only the Suns hadn\u2019t gotten rid of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paulch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Paul<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Phoenix Suns cornerstone Charles Barkley is no stranger to controversy. One of the most outspoken media members in the sports industry, his candidness often leads to delight or displeasure. This week, Barkley sat down with Fox Sports 910\u2019s Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B, discussing myriad topics. Naturally, he was asked about the Suns. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":95041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28,1608,25,26,62,3],"tags":[1006,409,69,38],"class_list":["post-95029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-suns","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-lakers","category-nba","category-news","tag-charles-barkley","tag-draymond-green","tag-kevin-durant","tag-lebron-james"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}