Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets came under heavy fire after his team got swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. For the uninitiated, Charles Barkley called Durant a “bus rider” which caused major controversy. Interestingly enough, Shaquille O’Neal had his say regarding this.

Talking on The Big Podcast with Shaq, the 4 time NBA champion, revealed how he was a “bus rider” himself. However, he gave his reasoning behind his statements.

Shaquille O’Neal clears the air around Kevin Durant

The first round of the NBA playoffs witnessed one of the worst sweeps. The Boston Celtics dominated the entire match to beat the Brooklyn Nets 4-0. 

READ MORE: Stephen Curry Sounds off on Possible End of the Road for LeBron James and Kevin Durant

After this loss, Kevin Durant faced the media’s heat. NBA legend Charles Barkley called Durant a “bus rider”. The reference to this comment is Durant’s time in the Golden State Warriors.

Top Stories

Caitlin Clark Dominates Key WNBA Metric Despite Injury-Plagued 2025

Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers Championship Teammate Faces Arrest For Violating Court Order

Respect Pours In for Caitlin Clark After Latest Offseason Announcement

Arrest For Shaquille O’Neal’s Stolen Range Rover Made But More Bad News Awaits

Cooper Flagg’s Trainer on Mavericks’ Season So Far: “Absolutely Burns His Insides To Lose Games” [Exclusive]

This led to a small beef between the two. Durant posted pics of Barkley’s time in the NBA when he played with superstars. Chuck responded to Durant on Inside the NBA show.

Clearing the air around Chuck’s statement, Shaquille O’Neal touched upon this topic on The Big Podcast with Shaq. Shaq said, “What that means is, you’re not really that good, not you individually, your team. And when you’re the leader of your team, it all falls back on you. So, that’s what he meant by that but you know.”

He added, “Yeah, I was a bus rider in my last championship with DWade. I started off driving the bus but I was like DWade, here’s the keys you take it off and we were able to come back and win. There’s nothing wrong with that you know because it’s all a team process.”

WATCH THIS STORY: All you need to know about Warriors Hero Against Nuggets, Gary Payton II

Shaquille O’Neal talks about his time in the Miami Heat while referring to himself as a ‘bus rider’. Shaq joined the Heat and a young Dwyane Wade to win the 2006 NBA title. This happened to be Shaq’s last NBA title and Wade’s 1st of 3 titles with the iconic franchise.