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Charles Barkley rips ‘idiots’ at ESPN, future home of ‘Inside the NBA,’ for saying ‘Lakers saved the NBA’

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Charles Barkley isn’t a talking head on ESPN yet.

In the year ahead, the much-loved “Inside the NBA” studio show on TNT, featuring analysts like Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith alongside host Ernie Johnson, will be granted broadcast rights to air on ESPN, starting from the 2025-26 season.

For now, it appears that Barkley is not hesitant to criticize the ESPN commentators, labeling them as a whole as “idiots” and “fools”. He also specifically mentioned Kendrick Perkins among his criticism.

Barkley admitted, “We’re likely to appear as fools next year if we continue working on that network.

Sports

At Thursday’s Lakers match, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported that LeBron James addressed him, expressing concern about any potential criticism directed towards his son, Bronny, to ensure that I exercise caution in my future comments regarding him.

On-air Thursday, Barkley expressed his concerns about what he sees as ESPN favoring the Lakers and Golden State Warriors over teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been performing exceptionally well this season but aren’t getting the same level of attention.

In the NBA, it’s the Cavaliers (52-10) and Thunder (51-11) who boast the top two records. However, the Lakers and Warriors have been making impressive strides lately. L.A. has won nine out of their last twelve games ever since they incorporated Luka Doncic into their roster, while Golden State has also managed a 9-2 streak following their trade for Jimmy Butler.

Currently sitting at the second spot in the Western Conference, the Lakers have surged up the rankings after winning their last eight matches. However, they are still 10.5 games behind Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, the Warriors find themselves at sixth place in the conference, with a significant gap of 16.5 games between them and the Thunder.

Between the Lakers and Warriors, these two teams boast a collective total of 23 NBA championships, with 10 of those titles being won since the year 2000. Notably, the Lakers last clinched the title in 2020, while the Warriors took it home in 2022. On the other hand, the Cavaliers and Thunder have only managed to secure two championships between them (the Cavaliers in 2016 and the Thunder, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, in 1979). This apparent dominance by California teams might suggest a stronger national presence and popularity for them.

Lakers

In overtime, Luka Doncic nets the initial five baskets, ending his night with 32 points. His performance significantly contributed to the Lakers’ exhilarating 113-109 overtime win against the Knicks.

Everything led up to Barkley’s passionate speech, which left Shaquille O’Neal, the former Laker, laughing out loud by the halfway mark.

On TV, I watched a person who seemed uninformed and misguided discussing how the Lakers rescued the NBA. Barkley remarked, ‘He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knows who he is. His name, if I recall correctly, is Shaq or perhaps Kendrick Perkins. … He claimed that the Lakers saved the NBA season. This is due to the folks at the other network, where we will be working next year, constantly discussing this topic.’

Allow me to share some thoughts with you. … The Lakers have been performing exceptionally well. They still have a long road ahead. However, it’s worth noting that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are also having an impressive season. It seems like everyone is only focused on the Warriors and the Lakers. I understand they’re both doing well, but it’s a bit repetitive to constantly discuss them. If my assessment proves incorrect, I have no issues with that. However, it appears that some of you are fixated on the Lakers and the Warriors to the point of neglecting other teams, which makes the conversation rather one-dimensional.

For 12 consecutive matches, the Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged victorious. The Oklahoma City team has claimed the MVP title, playing exceptionally well, and everyone is abuzz with discussions regarding the runner-up. This fact, in particular, makes me frustrated because it overshadows other teams’ achievements.

Over the past six months, Oklahoma City and the Cavaliers have consistently performed well. When discussing top-performing teams, these two stand out as they’ve had impressive runs lasting more than just a couple of weeks.

Hollywood Inc.

Through a legal agreement between Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA, the beloved studio show remains intact.

Barkley continued to weigh in on the ongoing discussion among commentators regarding who is the greatest basketball player of all time, pitting Michael Jordan against LeBron James.

For quite some time now, I’ve been expressing my viewpoint: It seems like television pundits are the ones constantly discussing LeBron and Michael Jordan, yet they have little to no other subject matter to discuss.

On their NBA platform, TNT shared a video of Barkley’s remarks, labeling it as “a classic Lakers tirade,” however, certain comments concerning Perkins and several remarks aimed at ESPN were omitted from this post.

Chuck with an all-time Lakers rant 😭

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 7, 2025

ESPN declined to comment for this story.

Sports

It’s predicted that the popular ‘Inside the NBA’ show on TNT, featuring Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson, may come to an end after the 2024-25 NBA season due to the league possibly moving away from the network.

Perkins, on the other hand, had plenty to say about Barkley’s comments in two posts Thursday on X.

Hey @NBAonTNT, it might be good to pass on a message to Charles Barkley, a veteran player like myself, that I’ll be around,” Perkins, a 14-year NBA veteran and 2008 Boston Celtics champion, wrote. “When he encounters someone acting foolish or stupid in person, he should maintain the same attitude.

Hey @NBAonTNT, you might want to pass along a message to Charles Barkley that I’ll be around. When he encounters someone he considers an idiot or fool in person, let him maintain that same level of energy. If he chooses to engage with me, I’ll speak to him like the numbers on a house – straightforward. Directly from the 409… (This version retains the original’s tone while making it more easily understood and less informal.)

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 7, 2025

Later on, Perkins posted, “I’ll be discussing all things Lakers tonight on @SportsCenter! People said Bron and Luka wouldn’t work together, but their game is proving them wrong. They also said we’d be mourning the Lakers in the morning – they were mistaken once more. #IActuallyWatchBasketball

On SportsCenter today, ‘The Idiot’ will discuss everything about the Lakers! Despite predictions that LeBron James and Luka Doncic couldn’t coexist, their play tells a different story. Those doubting the Lakers are once again mistaken. Let’s give a shout-out to the 40-year-old LeBron James who…

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 7, 2025

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2025-03-08 00:01

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