feature-image

Getty

feature-image

Getty

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.

Terrell Owens holding Dude Wipes XL

Watch What’s Trending Now!

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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. 

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

article-image

ADVERTISEMENT

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.”

ADVERTISEMENT

article-image

Getty

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

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

Share this with a friend:

Link Copied!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by

author-image

Abhinava Ghosh

1,823 Articles

Abhinava Ghosh is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports with a wealth of experience covering the league. He has written over 1400 articles for EssentiallySports, showcasing his expertise in analyzing and reporting on NBA trade rumors, injury updates, and the ever-changing dynamics of the league. He had successfully covered the entire Kevin Durant trade saga at Brooklyn, which led to the basketball legend’s move to the Desert. He also kept our readers updated on the Brittney Griner situation throughout her exile in Russia. One of Abhinava's proudest moments came in 2015 when the Golden State Warriors won the NBA title after 40 years. As a lifelong fan of the Dubs, Abhinava was thrilled to see his team reach the pinnacle of the sport, but he remained objective and professional in his reporting.

Know more

Edited by

editor-image

Ajinkya Aswale

ADVERTISEMENT