On Monday, NBA legend and TNT analyst Charles Barkley appeared on First Take with Stephen A. Smith to discuss a number of topics in basketball, including Kevin Durant and his legacy after joining the Phoenix Suns. Barkley said he is holding KD up to the same standard as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, who both allegedly said they had to win championships without Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal in order to get the “old heads” off their backs.

Well, it appears Durant didn't exactly appreciate those comments from Chuck nor did he believe Bron in particular ever claimed such a thing:

To clarify, LeBron once said he needed D-Wade to win a title, but there is no evidence of James publically voicing the desire to capture a championship sans his former co-star with the Miami Heat. So, is Barkley just making things up or did he misinterpret The King's past comments? It appears to be the latter.

Nevertheless, there is definitely pressure on Kevin Durant to perform after linking up with Devin Booker and Chris Paul in the desert. He failed to bring a Larry O'Brien back to Brooklyn, with that whole Big 3 experiment failing miserably.

In the end though, Barkley deep down undoubtedly wants to see KD lead his former team to the Promised Land in the coming months and they definitely have a good chance of going all the way. It simply comes down to the chemistry Durant can build with Book and CP3 down the stretch here heading into the playoffs along with Deandre Ayton buying into his new role. And while KD has already won a championship in the Bay Area with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, this is his opportunity to be the focal point of a title run.