Golden State Warriors All-Star forward Kevin Durant is no longer hiding behind burner accounts on social media when he feels the need to speak his mind, whether it be to call out a troll or one of his peers. Durant has said that he doesn't really care what people say about him, but that he's "just tired of holding it in.”
And as KD continues to engage with people on twitter and instagram, others will continue to criticize him for doing so. For instance, Charles Barkley recently made an appearance on Sports Illustrated’s Open Floor podcast, where he explained that Durant "is just a really nice guy trying to be a bad guy."
In speaking of the back-to-back NBA Finals MVP, Barkley said (H/T Slam):
“Kevin Durant is just a really nice guy trying to be a bad guy,” Barkley said. “You can’t do that. It doesn’t work. He spends all his time trying to prove to people how tough and bad he is. He’s so worried about what other people say. Kevin Durant is a great player and a great kid. I was one of those guys who criticized him for going to Golden State, but he doesn’t have to respond every time someone says something about it.”
“Who’s got thinner skin: Shaquille O’Neal or Kevin Durant? They’ve both got thin skin like Flat Stanley. They need to just chill out.”
Durant recently spoke about his social media activity with Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania, in which he explained, "When I’m on my phone in the middle and in between practices, of course, I’m going to respond. Now I’m just like, I don’t really care what people think about me, the names people call me. I know every time I say something, people are going to get upset at me. So I feel like I have all the power now."
