Charles Barkley Had a “Rough Day” as Alex Ovechkin and Paige Bueckers Kept His “Head on a Swivel”

Charles Barkley narrated the “rough day” that he had on Sunday while having to watch 2 TVs at once. Barkley said he wanted to watch both the women’s NCAA championship game with Paige Bueckers and Alex Ovechkin break the NHL scoring record at the same time. Ultimately, he learned how tough it was to constantly divert his attention from one sport to the next. But he also praised Ovechkin for the incredible achievement.

It’s always tough when two huge sporting events are scheduled around the same time. A seasoned sports viewer may be used to it. But Barkley got a taste of it for the first time on Sunday. 

During the halftime show of the men’s NCAA national championship game, he took a moment to explain the difficulties he had while trying to view the two massive sporting events.

“I had a rough day yesterday. I had 2 TVs going. The hockey game on TNT, and I had the basketball game on. I was going back and forth, my head was on a swivel,” Barkley joked.“Shoutout to Alex Ovechkin, too, man. Shoutout to Ovechkin. That was amazing.”

Barkley’s co-host, Ernie Johnson, then asked how he could fit two TVs in his hotel room. “We were at the bar,” Barkley answered.

The response made the crew crack up in laughter. Kenny Smith even professed that Barkley’s hotel room is the bar. It was a classic Barkley moment.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by B/R Open Ice (@br_openice)

Ovechkin scored his 895th goal on Sunday to pass Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky in all-time NHL goals scored. It’s an incredible feat that the Russian left winger achieved. But Charles wasn’t the only NBA legend to congratulate Ovechkin following the performance.

LeBron James congratulated Alexander Ovechkin after his record-breaking night

Many celebrities and sports legends shared messages for Alex Ovechkin after he broke Gretzky’s record, including the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James. 

“Alex! Congratulations, man, on being the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer. It’s an unbelievable accomplishment. And I know when reaching any type of goal, or any type of feat, it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice,” he said.

LeBron knows a thing or two about record-setting moments 🙌@KingJames congratulates The Great 8 on becoming the NHL's all-time leader in goals! 🤴 #Gr8ness pic.twitter.com/8A2AV7VXgJ

— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025

It was high praise from LeBron. Some other famous celebrities and athletes who congratulated Ovechkin alongside LeBron and Barkley included Tom Brady, Katie Ledecky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It was one of those sporting achievements heard around the world that a true sports fan couldn’t miss. That’s why Charles Barkley had to have two TVs on, so he could catch the action. Plus, throwing back a few cold ones while watching it all go down sounds like a pretty good time.