Gilbert Arenas Defends Kevin Durant After Charles Barkley Calls Him A 'Follower'

Speaking on his show, former NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas came to the defense of basketball legend Kevin Durant. The comments, which take a direct shot at Charles Barkley, come after Barkley referred to Kevin Durant as a "bus rider" who has yet to lead a team of his own to a title.

"When you call somebody a follower, not a leader, let us know which team that you lead or was leading," said Arenas. "Being the best player on the Suns, you didn't lead. It was already established before you got there. You bailed out in Philadelphia and you wanted to try and win a ring. So whenever you have a grudge with someone like Kevin Durant you need to go back and look at yourself  and look at your f------ career cause you followed back then."

Barkley speaks loudly from his pedestal on 'Inside the NBA' and he's made more money on the platform than during his entire basketball career. Kevin Durant is just one of many players who Barkley is beefing with right now and the nature of their relationship came to light during the 2024 All-Star game when Bas\rkely tried to explain why Durant wasn't a leader.

"No disrespect to Kevin Durant, he's a follower, he's not a leader," said Chuck. "He's proven that in all his spots. Booker is a hell of a player, he's going to have to take the initiative to take this Sun's team to another level. Kevin's a hell of a player, I don't wanna say anything bad about him. I said the same thing about Boston, one of you guys has to step forward."

Clearly, those comments rubbed some people the wrong way but it's how a lot of people feel about Durant given his track record. And if he cannot win another title to prove he can thrive outside of Steph Curry's influence, he may end up proving all of them right.

Was Kevin Durant Ever The "Bus Driver"?

Kevin Durant has always been somewhat of a controversial figure. As the poster child for modern-day player empowerment, Durant has never been shy about putting his wants first, and it's what drove him to the Warriors in 2016 and to every other team after that. This season, Barkley has not been shy about holding Durant accountable and his latest comment captured the feelings of many critics 

Last season, Charles Barkley had arguably his most notable off-court altercation with Kevin Durant. Speaking on his legacy, he claimed that Durant's biggest problem so far is that he's never been the "bus driver" of his own championship team. He couldn't get it done as the MVP with the Thunder or alongside Kyrie Irving with the Nets.

In Golden State, when he won three championships, it was Stephen Curry who was leading the way as the face of the franchise and the heartbeat of the team both on and off the court. 

So far, in Phoneix, success hasn't come easy for Durant and he's finding out just how hard it is to win a title when your team isn't unfairly stacked. Without a single Finals appearance since leaving the Bay, the pressure is building for Durant to make a run and remind the world that he's still one of the best in the game.