NBA: Shaquille O'Neal justifies Kevin Durant's hard blow to Charles Barkley

Known for his exceptional talent on NBA courts, but also for the ease with which he gets into controversy, Kevin Durant is one of the most media-friendly players in the sport. His last big highlight in the controversy was with former player Charles Barkley. An exchange that was joined by another legend, Shaquille O’Neal.

Apparently, Durant would be having a hard time after the recent conquest of the NBA championship by the Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry. The current Brooklyn Nets player was part of the two previous conquests of the Dubs.

However, Durantula’s career took a turn since the Achilles tendon rupture he suffered in the 2019 Finals. And currently, while he enjoys a very lucrative contract that guarantees him $198 million to be received over the next four years, sporting glory has not smiled on him with the Nets.

Shaquille O’Neal talks about the Kevin Durant-Charles Barkley controversy

For Charles Barkley, iconic NBA player, Kevin Durant has not yet proven on the court to be a differential player that deserves respect and superstar treatment, despite his two championships won. In response to that statement, KD threw a dart at Barkley and the rest of the former players who may not consider him a star: they are envious of the salary he and the rest of the top players currently earn.

Shaquille O’Neal gave his opinion on the matter and validated what Kevin Durant said in an interview with Sportskeeda: “Let me tell you something, do you think I’m happy Rudy Gobert is making 250 (million)?So KD, you’re absolutely right. We’re mad because the way we played we didn’t get that. You got these shooters shooting 22% making 30 million…D Scott shot damn near 45 to 50% his whole career and the most he made was probably $7 million, so you damn right we get mad. We get petty, and guess what? We have an opinion, and our opinion counts.“.

O’Neal’s is in line with the reality of today’s salaries. During his time as an NBA player, the highest salary he received per season was 27 million when he first joined the Miami Heat, well below the 49.5 million per year that Kevin Durant will receive starting in the 2022-2023 season with the Brooklyn Nets.