Charles Barkley Responds to Kevin Durant’s Ring-Chasing Comments

The Hall of Fame forward: “Life is different when you’re driving the bus.”

TNT analyst Charles Barkley responded to Kevin Durant’s snappy comeback from Barkley’s initial critique saying that the two-time NBA Finals MVP had not been playing as if he was the “bus driver,” but instead a “bus rider.”

“If you ain’t driving the bus, don’t walk around talkin’ ‘bout you a champion,” Barkley previously stated.

Earlier Tuesday, Durant called out Barkley for “ring chasing” in his career, referencing moments of playing with Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Maurice Cheeks in Philadelphia earlier in his career. Durant also posted a picture of the Hall of Famer playing with the Scottie Pippen, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler in Houston near the end of his career.

Ahead of Tuesday’s playoff games on Inside the NBA on TNT, Barkley addressed Durant’s response in attempting to play down the situation. 

“You think they put that play-in banner up yet already,” Barkley said. “I can put up stuff about him, Russell [Westbrook] and James [Harden] and Serge Ibaka … KD [Kevin Durant] is a great player. The only point I was making: Life is different when you’re driving the bus.”

"KD's a great player. The only point I was making: Life is different when you're driving the bus."

–– Charles Barkley in response to Kevin Durant

(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/UTgaVyoAgU

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 26, 2022

For those who may not fully understand the “bus driver” term, Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal provided the perfect plain and simple definition. “Bus drivers means it is your team,” O'Neal said on Inside the NBA.

It took Durant joining Golden State to win two championships in his three seasons with the Warriors from 2016 to ’19. However, the 12-time All-Star has not won another ring since his time in the Bay Area, causing him to catch tons of slander from pundits and critics. 

Boston getting the 4–0 sweep against Brooklyn on Monday did not help Durant’s case in the argument, despite him finishing Game 4 with 39 points in a home loss. 

“When I am in the room with the other Hall of Famers, I don’t get to the sit at their table,” Barkley said. “That’s the way it is … They are champions.”

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