NBA legend and member of the 75th Anniversary team Charles Barkley is never shy about telling people how he really feels. Barkley is one of the more honest and vocal analysts regarding basketball or other topics. That was the case on the NBA on TNT telecast on Thursday night prior to the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics matchup.
Charles Barkley Goes Off on ESPN, Kendrick Perkins in Latest Rant
Prior to the game, Barkley took a massive shot at ESPN and its analyst, Kendrick Perkins, regarding their coverage of the game. The 62-year-old mentioned how the only teams they cover are the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
Barkley also added that it’s surprising since there are teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder that are having historic seasons.
“I want all the smoke… the Lakers are doing great… Y’all are idiots because y’all talk about the Lakers and the Warriors all the time… Oklahoma City [Thunder] and the Cavs been ballin’ for six months.”
"I want all the smoke… the Lakers are doing great… Y'all are idiots because y'all talk about the Lakers and the Warriors all the time… Oklahoma City [Thunder] and the Cavs been ballin for six months."
Charles Barkley took SHOTS at ESPN 😳pic.twitter.com/T24BBE1m9t
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 7, 2025
Kendrick Perkins Fires Back at Charles Barkley
Minutes after Barkley went on his rant, Perkins wasted no time to clap back at the 1992-93 NBA MVP. Perkins said, “when he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy.”
Hey @NBAonTNT might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around. When he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy. He can come playing with me if he want to and imma Address his ass like the numbers on a house. Straight from the 409…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 7, 2025
This isn’t the first time the two have exchanged words with each other.
Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal have occasionally taken shots at Perkins. Perkins has done the same, publicly saying that O’Neal and Barkley ‘do not watch basketball.’
“Obviously they don’t watch basketball,” Perkins said at the time on The Michael Kay Show. “I’m serious, they can’t watch basketball on a consistent basis. The only time they actually probably watch the Knicks are when they’re covering the Knicks on their game nights.”
In an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast with Shannon Sharpe, Barkley discussed his beef with Perkins.
“Yeah it doesn’t bother me because we take shots at players,” Barkley said. “The only problem I had with what Kendrick says…there’s nobody in the world who watches more basketball than me. And I had just come out of March Madness, which pissed me off even more because I was watching two or three college basketball games a day. March Madness really sucks because I’m watching games all day long. But to say other guys don’t watch the games…”
“Because he has a different opinion than yours,” Sharpe chimed in.
“Yeah,” Barkley replied. “So that’s the only thing that bothered me. There’s nobody in the world that watches more basketball than me. But I don’t get mad. The thing that’s really funny about it…Shaq is so sensitive at times. I was gonna like let it go and he’s like, ‘Nah, nah, nah! My momma told me growing up we kill all roaches!'”
The two have an extensive history, and it’s likely that it won’t be resolved anytime soon.
Thunder and Cavaliers Dominating as They Continue Impressive Seasons
The Thunder and the Cavaliers are the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences.
During the season, the Cavaliers are first in offensive rating, seventh in defensive rating and second in net rating. The Thunder are fourth in offensive rating, first in defensive rating, and first in net rating.
Both teams are in the top seven in three of the most important categories a contender should be in. No one should be surprised if the two are in the NBA Finals, squaring off for the right to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Photo credit: © Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
