Charles Barkley made headlines on Thursday night when he went on a viral rant blasting ESPN for the network's coverage of the Los Angeles Lakers. Specifically, Barkley was frustrated over the four-letter network fawning over the Lakers, as well as the Golden State Warriors, at the cost of covering teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers or Oklahoma City Thunder. Barkley even went so far as to name-drop Kendrick Perkins and label him an "idiot" and a "fool."
Perkins was quick to respond that night and defended his honor. On Friday morning, Stephen A. Smith defended the honor of the network, ripping Barkley in response to the criticism.
"Barkley does television," Smith said. "He'd never be accused of knowing television... Maybe Charles Barkley should look at his rundowns from time to time. Even though they are an NBA show, as opposed to a show that talks about an abundance of things, the fact of the matter is, some stories get a higher profile than others because they resonate with the viewing public. In television, it's called ratings."
Smith went on to declare that Barkley's diatribe wasn't personal, but just how the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer is.
"I've known Charles Barkley over 25 years. He calls Kenny a fool every show. He calls him and Shaq idiots at least once a week. It's how he talks. It's who he is. Charles Barkley is one of the sweetest human beings you will ever find on the planet. He means no harm."
"Barkley does television. He'd never be accused of knowing television." - Stephen A. Smith responds to Charles Barkley's ESPN rant pic.twitter.com/46cYDKff1S
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2025
Smith and Barkley will be teammates in some fashion next NBA season; Inside The NBA will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN due to TNT losing NBA rights. It seems Barkley doesn't mind calling out his future coworkers, but Smith took a slightly more tactful approach in his response.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Fires Back at Charles Barkley Over Criticism of ESPN's Lakers Coverage.
