Charles Barkley Says Devin Booker Must Step Up Due to Kevin Durant’s Lack of Leadership

The TNT analyst and Hall of Famer said Durant always has been a “follower.”

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant and Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley have a long history of exchanging barbs over the past several years. The latest shot in their ongoing war of words came with some criticism from Barkley during Sunday’s All-Star Game in Indianapolis. 

Barkley often has said that Durant won’t be recognized as one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time until he leads a team to an NBA title as he refuses to acknowledge Durant’s two championships with the Golden State Warriors as such. Durant joined the Warriors to win titles in 2017 and ’18 and hasn’t heard the end of it ever since from Barkley and some fans.

When discussing what the Suns have to do to take the next step in pursuit of a title, Barkley said star shooting guard Devin Booker has to be a leader on the team—because Durant simply is not. 

“Kevin's a follower. He's not a leader. He's proven that on all of his stops.” 😳

- Charles Barkley on Kevin Durant

(h/t @NBA_NewYork )

pic.twitter.com/TmH3gcTLxk

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 19, 2024

“No disrespect to Kevin. Kevin’s a follower. He’s not a leader,” Barkley said on truTV’s alternate broadcast of the All-Star Game. “He’s proven that on all his stops. Booker’s a hell of a player also. I think he’s going to have to take the initiative and take this Suns team to the next level. Because, man, Kevin’s a hell of a player. I ain’t never gonna say anything bad about him. But I said the same thing with Boston. One of your guys has to step forward. He has to step forward, and for me, for Phoenix to be successful, it has to be Booker.”

It’s worth noting that Draymond Green, one of Durant’s former Warriors teammates, also was on the broadcast with Barkley and didn’t dispute the Hall of Famer’s points. Green and Durant also have feuded over the years, dating to their days together in Golden State.

Phoenix is currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a 33–22 record.