Three Key Takeaways:
- Charles Barkley predicted the Lakers will be eliminated early, bluntly calling them “not a good team” despite star power and criticizing coach JJ Redick’s rotation for overplaying veterans in Game 4.
- He slammed ESPN’s Lakers coverage as overly fawning – “swing on them like everything tastes like chicken” – and highlighted media double standards by comparing it to the praise given to past stars like himself, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing.
- Barkley unapologetically roasted ESPN’s narrative on player loyalty, ridiculing their questions about Giannis needing to leave Milwaukee while recalling the lack of similar commentary during his own career struggles.
Charles Barkley isn’t holding back as he prepares to switch networks.
The NBA legend didn’t mince words about the struggling Lakers.
And he took direct aim at ESPN – the very network that will soon be signing his paychecks.
Barkley predicts Lakers elimination with brutal honesty
The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves on the brink of playoff elimination, trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1 in their first-round series. Charles Barkley, who has never been one to sugarcoat his opinions, made it clear he’s not surprised by the Lakers’ struggles.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday, Barkley didn’t hide his feelings about the team that many basketball fans consider the NBA’s crown jewel.
During the interview, Barkley made his position on the Lakers crystal clear.
“The Lakers, I told you two months ago, six weeks ago, the Lakers aren’t a good team. They got two really, really good players, but not a good team. ESPN just swings on them like everything tastes like chicken, but the Lakers are not a good team. They’re going to lose either this round or next round, but more likely this round. They’re not very good,” Barkley stated.
The LeBron-Luka experiment isn’t working
The Lakers shocked the basketball world by acquiring superstar Luka Dončić, pairing him with LeBron James in what was supposed to be an unstoppable combination. However, Barkley believes the team construction is fundamentally flawed.
Barkley didn’t hold back when discussing the Lakers’ roster construction, particularly concerning LeBron James’ age.
“The Lakers are not going to be a contender with the team they have now. Your best player can’t be 40. That makes no sense whatsoever. Your best player can’t be 40,” Barkley emphasized.
The Hall of Famer also took issue with coach JJ Redick’s rotation decisions in Game 4.
“And JJ was wrong the other night to play those guys the entire second half because, No. 1, it’s probably going to affect them tonight. It definitely affected them down the stretch the other night. Both of those guys missed lay-ups and they made some mental mistakes with the ball.”
Yahoo Sports reports the Lakers’ center situation has been problematic, noting they attempted to trade for Mark Williams from Charlotte but the deal wasn’t completed after reviewing his medical information. Hayes barely saw the court in Game 4, logging just four minutes according to Yahoo.
Chuck unloads on ESPN’s coverage
The kicker here? Barkley’s scheduled to cash ESPN paychecks next season. Yahoo Sports reports that TNT’s “Inside the NBA” team has a licensing deal with ESPN, meaning Barkley will soon work for the very network he’s trashing. Despite this upcoming career move, he continues to be openly critical of ESPN.
Barkley didn’t just stop at calling out the Lakers. He went after ESPN hard, mocking their Lakers coverage by saying they “swing on them like they were damn King Kong.”
Dan Patrick tried moving the conversation along, but Barkley wasn’t finished. He jumped back in with a fresh complaint about how ESPN talks about Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially leaving Milwaukee.
“Dan, you know, the clowns at ESPN, they always make me laugh,” he told Patrick.
Barkley went on to share his unfiltered thoughts about ESPN’s coverage of star players wanting to leave small markets:
“It’s interesting how they were discussing Giannis [Antetokounmpo] this week, like, ‘Should Giannis want to leave?’ I clearly don’t remember when I played, I don’t remember saying, ‘We need to get Charles Barkley some help in Philadelphia, or Phoenix, or Karl Malone in Utah. Patrick Ewing some help in New York.’ I remember the guys in the media kissing my ass and Karl’s ass, and Patrick’s ass. ‘Well, Giannis should want to leave Milwaukee now, because he can’t win the championship.’ I wonder where all the guys were when I played, asking me to get some help.”
Continuing his criticism of media double standards, Barkley added:
“I mean, they were kissing. They were like loving the Lakers, loving the Celtics, loving Michael [Jordan], loving the Pistons. But I don’t remember all these kiss-asses back in the day, saying, ‘You know, we need to get Charles Barkley some help, because he can’t win a championship in Philly or Phoenix.’ It makes me laugh. They’re like, ‘Giannis gotta leave Milwaukee.’ You know, that already started. Like, wow. Y’all more concerned about us other great players back in our day, but y’all of a sudden now y’all like, ‘Giannis has got to leave Milwaukee now. Is his championship window closed?’ I’m like, ‘Man, thanks for helping me out when I went out there with nobody.'”
The Lakers are probably headed home early, and Barkley’s headed to a new TV home soon enough. But one thing’s crystal clear from his comments on The Dan Patrick Show – Sir Charles doesn’t care who’s cutting his checks, he’s gonna keep saying exactly what he thinks.