Charles Barkley claims with a title in Phoenix Suns Kevin Durant can alter the story of “Bus Rider”

Charles Barkley feels Kevin Durant can get rid of his 'bus rider' tag and become a 'bus driver' if he wins a title with the Suns

Charles Barkley claims with a title in Phoenix Suns Kevin Durant can alter the story of “Bus Rider”

Charles Barkley

Kevin Durant is already a certified hall of fame player but the narratives around him are not pleasant. KD has two championships, both with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. The fact that it took joining a team that went 73-9 in the previous season to win a championship is what makes people mad. The whole ‘bus rider’ narrative stems from the fact that Steph Curry won championships before and after KD but the ‘Slim Reaper’ never won without Steph.

When asked about KD removing the ‘bus rider’ tag and becoming a ‘driver’ Charles Barkley said: “100%, there’s a tremendous amount of pressure on him. He should lead that team. If they win it, older guys like myself will give him the credit“. Barkley used examples of Kobe and Lebron who ended up winning after their co-stars left. “Kobe said I had to win without Shaq… Lebron said I had to win without D Wade and those guys.” Kobe of course has an iconic interview after winning his 5th championship where he says he is just happy he has more rings than Shaq. Lebron winning in his hometown has certainly changed the narrative around his career completely.

Kevin Durant of course has a league MVP to his name and to his credit he did win Finals MVP both times with Golden State. Yet for some reason, the legitimacy of his success is questioned as there is no team in the world beating those warriors. Charles Barkley himself is a Phoenix Suns legend having won league MVP over there and making the finals too. Deep down he is probably rooting for KD to win the championship.

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Kevin Durant can accomplish something that Charles Barkley could never do

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Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley had all the success in Phoenix apart from an NBA championship. Charles Barkley is one of those greats who suffered in the Jordan era. Players such as Karl Malone, John Stockton, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, and the list goes on. Barkley won the league MVP in 1993 but ended up losing the NBA finals to Jordan’s Bulls in 6 games.

Kevin Durant has a huge shot opportunity to give Phoenix their first-ever title and go down as one of their best players ever. With the Warriors, he knows their franchise player will always be Steph. Although a championship in Phoenix means doing something that has never been done before. He will instantly become the most important player in Sun’s history and be immortalized in the eyes of the fans

KD is yet to suit up for the Suns since his move from Brooklyn but it is coming very soon. 24th February is the projected date for KD’s return in the Sun’s first game after the All-Star break. KD will be potentially going up against his first-ever team the Oklahoma City Thunder. He won league MVP and multiple scoring titles in his 9 years with the Thunder. KD should have a deep playoff run in Phoenix and might even make the finals, but what he will want most is to get the ‘bus rider’ tag off his back.

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