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Gilbert Arenas Rips Charles Barkley After Stinging Take On Kevin Durant and Suns’ Crumbling Leadership

Published 04/11/2024, 10:00 AM EDT

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Charles Barkley doesn’t mince his words when it comes to Kevin Durant. The Philadelphia 76ers legend criticized KD and his Phoenix Suns’ leadership, or lack thereof. The team has been inconsistent this season. And now even the fans are upset witnessing their consistent failure to step up when it counts. From being in a comfortable position with automatic playoff qualification, the Suns now find themselves in the Play-In spots. While some fans might share the same sentiment as Chuck, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas wasn’t impressed with his criticism. Agent Zero even went as far as to question Sir Charles on the matter.

In the latest episode of Nightcap, Arenas discussed Sir Charles’ comments with Shannon Sharpe. Arenas shared that the team traded a lot of players to get Bradley Beal, who ended up missing a lot of games because of his injuries. He further argued that Suns stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are doing their best to support the team.

He further went on to criticize Barkley for his take and said, “When were you (Charles Barkley) a leader? What year did you lead your team? Right? You can’t say the first year you got the Suns, because that was, that was Kevin Johnson’s team. You were just a hired gun.” 

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He further added, “It was calling you fat boy. You had to get in shape to be on that team. We can always challenge somebody’s leadership when they’re failing.”

He also went on to criticize Chuck for how he had to get in shape to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. But what did Barkley say about the Suns’ that triggered Arenas?

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Charles Barkley called the Phoenix Suns’ mentality weak

Previously, after the NCAA National Championship game, Barkley was asked about his former team’s performance this season and whether they would be able to salvage it. In response, the Suns legend said, “They don’t have any mental toughness. The leaders are not leading. So, you know, you are not going to turn it on this late in the season. I’m not sure what you’re expecting, but their mental toughness, they are weak mentally and it’s not going to go good for them.”

USA Today via Reuters

Just a few days before, there was a storm of pleas and demands on social media asking the franchise to fire head coach Frank Vogel. There has been a buzz that if the Suns don’t improve their performance, Vogel might suffer the consequences. Vogel’s strategic brilliance has been instrumental in the Suns’ game. However, given his contribution, it is highly improbable for the Phoenix Suns to fire him after just one season.

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Written by:

Pritha Debroy

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Pritha is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. After reporting on the luxurious lifestyle of celebrities for a year, she used that experience to cover the glamor side of the basketball world. She has expertly covered Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan's complicated love story and the lavish vacations of NBA superstars, among other off-court scoops.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth