Charles Barkley Called Kevin Durant an 'Abject Failure'

Charles Barkley called into Bickley & Marotta Mornings on 98.7 Arizona Sports on Thursday. Barkley was asked about the Kevin Durant situation with the Brooklyn Nets and gave a brutal and ridiculous answer about how Durant has been an "abject failure" whenever he was asked to be the leader of a team. Listen.

“All the old guys, he get mad we say it, he piggybacked on the Warriors to win his first two championships, but if you go back and look at his career, as the best player and being a leader that all goes with that, he’s been an abject failure. I mean every time he’s had to be the leader and best player, he has not had success. That’s what us old guys think about him. Until he becomes a leader and best player on a championship team, where he has to deal with all the responsibility, all the media stuff that goes with it. The expectations. We're always going to hold that against him."

“He just seems like a miserable person, man. I call him Mr. Miserable, he’s never going to be happy. Everybody’s given him everything on a silver platter. He was the man in Oklahoma City, they loved him, he owned the entire state. He bolts on them and goes to the Warriors and wins back-to-back championships and he’s still not happy. Then he goes to Brooklyn, they give him everything he wants and he’s still miserable. That's why I call him Mr. Miserable.

Just an incredible old guy take. Coming from Barkley, it is hilarious, but these two have a past. If Durant is an abject failure, then so is Barkley who went 0-1 in the NBA Finals and lost in the first round six times in his career. A healthy Durant has failed to get out of the first round just once. And Barkley was drafted by a team two years removed from winning a title, so it's not like he had to toil with a bunch of young guys like KD did.

Even without the comparison, Durant has been anything but a failure. Just marvel at the numbers of the 21st leading scorer in NBA history. If he can stay healthy this season he could vault into the top 10. If not, he'll probably get there next season. There's really no telling how far he'll go, but by the time he retires he'll be one of eight players to score 30,000 points in their career. He's already the eighth leading score in NBA playoff history. Who knows how far he can go there.

Plus, he's won two titles. The only reason winning those titles didn't stop him from being Mr. Miserable is because of people who say titles are all that matter. Until you win a title, and then multiple titles are all that matter. And also, not all titles actually count. It's actually surprising Durant isn't more miserable.