Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant didn't take too kindly to Charles Barkley's criticism of his tenure with the Warriors
As the 2025-26 NBA campaign prepares to get underway, superstar forward Kevin Durant is preparing for a fresh start with a new team. After a failed stint with the Phoenix Suns, Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets over the offseason, with the hope being that he could elevate their team to true championship contender status.
Durant, of course, knows what it takes to win the NBA Finals from his time with the Golden State Warriors, where he won the only two titles of his career. However, some folks don’t appreciate what Durant contributed to the Warriors during his time with the team. One member of that group is the legendary Charles Barkley, and after he made critical comments about Durant’s tenure with Golden State, the Rockets’ new star quickly fired back.
Kevin Durant Fires Back at Charles Barkley’s Criticism
“I done rode the bus, I done filled the gas tank up, I was the gas, I was the wheels, the axle, the brakes, all different given parts.”
Kevin Durant responding to Charles Barkley’s bus driver comments 😯
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In 2016, Durant decided to sign with the Warriors in free agency, and that decision was poorly received by the collective NBA world. Considering how Golden State was already winning titles with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, Durant’s decision to sign with them simply seemed like a way for him to add some championships to his trophy case.
Durant’s move worked, as he won a pair of titles, but fans have debated what it truly meant for his legacy, saying that it wasn’t as meaningful since he could defer to Curry whenever he wanted to. Barkley has been a member of that chorus, and he ended up claiming that Durant was not good enough to “drive the bus” himself in his quest to win a championship, saying he needed to be a passenger to a player like Curry.
Considering how Durant has been unable to win it all with the Suns, Brooklyn Nets, and Oklahoma City Thunder, it’s fair to wonder if Barkley’s argument holds water. Of course, it’s also worth noting that Durant didn’t exactly sit back and play second fiddle to Curry on the Warriors. When responding to Barkley’s comments, Durant made it clear that he feels he filled every role possible when helping Golden State win a pair of championships during his time with them.
“I done rode the bus, I done filled the gas tank up, I was the gas, I was the wheels, the axle, the brakes, all different given parts,” Durant said in season two of Netflix’s “Starting 5” series. “I was in the back of the bus. I played every role on that team. He never knew what it’s like to remove your ego so you can go out there and help a city, a town win a championship. It was all about him. His whole life, his whole career.”
Kevin Durant Has a Chance to Prove Critics Wrong with the Rockets
Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets, Russell Westbrook, Fred VanVleet
GettyKevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets poses for a portrait during media day at Toyota Center on September 29, 2025 in Houston, Texas.
During his three seasons with the Warriors, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 52.4% from the field, which is pretty much in line with what he’s averaged throughout the rest of his career with the Thunder, Nets, and Suns. Yes, he had superstar teammates he could rely on, but the argument that Durant didn’t pull his weight with the Dubs is simply wrong.
And yet, Durant now finds himself with a unique opportunity to prove his critics wrong. With the Rockets, he is the team’s de facto No. 1 option on offense, and with a young, budding supporting cast alongside him, he has a chance to establish Houston as one of the top teams in the league. At this point in his career, Durant realistically has nothing left to prove, but if he truly wants to silence Barkley, he can do just that by going out and winning it all this season.