“Charles Barkley Lit Him Up”: Lakers Legends Defend JJ Redick Amid Feud with the TNT Analyst

A feud seems to be heating up in the NBA community between Charles Barkley and JJ Redick. Lakers legends Byron Scott and Michael Cooper found it hilarious the way Chuck made fun of the Los Angeles coach for blaming the NBA media for the league’s poor ratings. They, however, pushed back Barkley’s criticism of Redick’s stint as head coach in LA.

“Charles lit him up,” said Cooper on Showtime with Coop, while reacting to Barkley’s comments. He then went on to acknowledge that fans are indeed no longer as interested in the league as they once were.

Scott replied saying that he doesn’t buy into Redick’s claims that the media has played a role in the declining ratings.

“When you talk about the viewership is down like 48% or something like that, which is crazy. You’re trying to blame it on TNT or media and all this stuff, I think that’s crazy,” argued Scott.

The three-time NBA champion added that the players and the NBA’s product are to be blamed for a decline in viewership. Scott stated that the essence of the game is lost because of the players’ tendency to only focus on shooting threes. This is something similar to what Barkley has been saying.

However, Both Cooper and  Scott countered Barkley’s take that Redick was to be blamed for the Lakers’ poor form. They disagreed with the NBA on TNT analyst’s comment that the head coach’s job is in danger.

Cooper stated that Redick has given the Lakers a “sense of purpose” to play hard. He added: “The Lakers were just… they a mess but they weren’t playing hard [before].”

Scott pointed out that the Lakers are more competitive under Redick. He believes that this is the best they’ve looked as a team in the last few years. The Lakers are fourth in the West right now, and Cooper and Scott didn’t see why JJ’s stint as HC should be under the scanner.

Barkley, though, felt otherwise, and had used the team’s performance as extra ammunition against Redick.

Barkley and Redick’s exchange

During a conversation with the media, Redick had said that broadcast TV is always propagating the narrative that the league has lost its quality. In his opinion, this narrative is doing real damage to the NBA and making casual fans not want to tune in anymore.

Although he didn’t take any names, Barkley took it as a dig at him and the Inside the NBA crew.

Chuck was at his sarcastic best in his reply: “He said something about we’re the reason people aren’t watching this crappy product we’ve got. Yeah, like we’re out there jacking up a 100 threes a night… JJ, you come for the king, you better not miss.”

When Redick was informed about Chuck’s comment, he said, “[I] literally don’t care.”

Based on what we’ve seen with Barkley’s previous feuds, this is not likely to end here. The next time the NBA legend appears on TNT, he will probably make another dig, keeping the banter alive.