Charles Barkley on Kevin Durant’s move to the Suns: “He should lead this team”

The always outspoken Charles Barkley has opened up about his thoughts on how he thinks Kevin Durant will fare in Phoenix.

Durant is widely regarded as one of the best players in the NBA, but he’s also become synonymous with players joining teams already built to compete for a championship.

Barkley was asked if he thinks Durant can change his reputation by claiming the role of “bus driver” in Phoenix.

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Charles Barkley arrives at the NBA Awards at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

After leaving Oklahoma City in 2016 and joining the Warriors, who just clinched a record 76 games and won the championship in 2015, some began to question Durant’s ability to lead a team. But Barkley believes the superstar forward finally has a chance to change the narrative.

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“One hundred percent. There’s a lot of pressure on him,” Barkley said. “He should be leading this team and if they win it I guess older guys like me will do him the honors. We always told him that.”

Kevin Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA free agency period. Although he was out the following season due to his Achilles tendon rupture, he still signed a Max contract. (Jesse D Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Last year, Barkley even called Durant a “bus driver,” and Durant took to Twitter to respond to the criticism.

“All of this is gross, another horrible analogy of a hateful old man who can’t accept that we bake more bread than they do,” Durant said in a June 2022 tweet. “It’s just Chucky’s timing, hate him Playa not.”

(LR) Owner Mat Ishbia, Kevin Durant and general manager James Jones of the Phoenix Suns pose for a photo at a press conference at the Footprint Center February 16, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Barkley spent four seasons with the Suns, the team that landed Durant in a blockbuster trade last week. The 13-time All-Star joins Chris Paul and Devin Booker in Phoenix, where the expectation is of winning a championship.

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If the Suns can pull off an NBA Finals win during Durant’s tenure, Barkley looks poised to end his criticism.