“When they first came in, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith didn’t speak English either”: David Stern hilariously trolled Inside the NBA duo for mocking European players

David Stern, much like his name suggests, was a stern man but he had his fair share of fun moments even with Charles Barkley.

Like every other great personality, former NBA commissioner, the late David Stern, has his own group of supporters and critiques. Some love him for what he did for the sport others call him a narcissist, racist, and whatnot.

Among some of his greatest works, Stern in his 30-year stint at the highest chair of the league, turned a 23-team $400 million worth league into a 30-team $12 billion league when he retired in 2014.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and @hornets owner Michael Jordan reflect on the legacy of David Stern and his impact on the NBA’s international expansion #NBAParis pic.twitter.com/uwvrtyWYkW

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 24, 2020

So, two men who came into the league in 1984 in vastly separate roles made the NBA one of the best sports in the world within a few years, one of them was Michael Jordan and the other, Stern.

There was another man in the famous draft class of 84’ who is also one of the greatest basketball players of all time and has also changed some things on and off the court. A hilarious moment between him, Kenny Smith and the commissioner from back in the day would definitely make your day.

Also read: Michael Jordan trash talked local gym-goers for hours on end after his 1st retirement

David Stern once shut Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith up as they were mocking European players

Barkley much like Kenny took up the microphone as soon as he retired from the NBA in 2000 and became arguably the best entertainer of the sport over the years in his analyst role with TNT.

Trolling the big names in the NBA has made him far more money than he ever made during his playing career and has become his bread and butter. However, a recent trending clip on NBA Reddit shows the commissioner trolling Chuck and Kenny for making fun of European players for their English during a Draft eve.

So yes, that man could do everything he wanted to. As we can clearly see he could have been a funny, easy-going man, but it wouldn’t have gone along with his name, would it?

His successor Adam Silver has done a fantastic job as well, no question, but the man isn’t anywhere close to the greatness of Stern, either in the office or the with media.

When he passed away at the age of 77 years in 2020, each and every player paid their tribute to the man. However unhappy or angry they were with his rules and lockouts, everyone respected him like he was the father of the game.

Also read: 6’6 Kobe Bryant revealed his masochistic love for losing Lakers games

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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