Charles Barkley’s no-filter, laid-back energy has long been part of what makes Inside the NBA so entertaining. And during blowouts, when the game fails to keep him awake… literally, Chuck drifts off into dreamland. Chuck has never hidden his boredom when a team simply doesn’t show up and has taken naps several times on set.
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Last night, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets gave him another reason to keep his eyes shut in their blowout loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nuggets looked like a group of amateurs against NBA pros in their 106-149 loss.
OKC scored 87 points in the first half, the most by any team ever in the history of the NBA playoffs. For comparison, the Knicks scored 91 points in the entire game and won against the Celtics. Needless to say, the one-sided game was boring in the second half because of the OKC’s insurmountable lead. And Chuck made good use of the opportunity.
A fan of the show posted a GIF of a baby dozing off and wrote, “Charles Barkley waiting for the blowout to finally end.” Chuck didn’t disagree. In fact, Ernie Johnson revealed that it wasn’t just Barkley who felt like taking a nap. He said, “It wasn’t just Charles, I should point that out. It was everybody in here.”
“This was ugly,” Chuck added. Even after witnessing the entire game, Kenny Smith was still scratching his head over how a team could give up nearly 90 points in the first half. Usually, the Inside crew provides great insight into games, but there was nothing left for them to do after the Nuggets’ humiliation.
This wasn’t Barkley’s first boring day at work in this year’s playoffs. During Game 4 of the Bucks-Pacers series, when the Pacers won 129-103, Chuck admitted that he was bored. He said, “I’m bored, brother. I’m not even gonna lie. That wasn’t even worth watching. This thing escalated quickly. It was over early.”
The Pacers’ 129-103 victory over the Bucks had Charles Barkley bored, and maybe even a bit sleepy if you ask Kenny Smith.
“I’m bored, brother. I’m not even gonna lie. That wasn’t even worth watching. This thing escalated quickly. It was over early.” – Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/V7eg5xtTsf
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 28, 2025
But Barkley isn’t the only one who gets caught sleeping on set.
Charles Barkley once caught Shaquille O’Neal sleeping
Chuck and Shaq often go at each other over several topics. Shaq teases him for never winning a championship, and Barkley returns the favor by outlining that Shaq has been on stacked teams all his career. Over the years, they’ve introduced new subject matter in their dynamic, but their sleeping habits have become a recurring topic.
Shaq once teased Barkley, referring to one of his commercials where he was seen with his eyes closed, and asked if Chuck slept through the commercial. Chuck had to get him back for it and, unsurprisingly, caught the big fella sleeping at the studio.
He posted the clip of sleeping Shaq on his Instagram and wrote, “Who’s sleeping now?”
While all of this is in fun and good spirit, the Nuggets need to figure out a way to recover from their disastrous performance. The series is now tied 1-1, and they’ll play Game 3 in Denver. Nikola Jokic and Co. will have to do something remarkable to help their fans move past the haunting memories of Game 2.
