Charles Barkley is one of the most candid NBA analysts out there, and as a former Hall of Fame-caliber player, he breaks down the game better than most. But when he went after Kobe Bryant, the Mamba went after him with no holds barred. According to Barkley, it made for an extremely long three hours.
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Since retiring in 2000, Barkley has been working in the media, covering NBA games. He recalled one particular outing involving Bryant, after which the Los Angeles Lakers legend didn’t take kindly to his criticism. As far as Barkley was concerned, though, he was 100% in the right.
Bryant, in a game 7 against the Phoenix Suns, had decided he wouldn’t shoot the ball anymore, because he felt that the team stood a better chance at winning. The stats played in his mind. When he shot more, the Lakers lost against the Suns. And he wasn’t going to let that happen. Alas, it turned out to be a colossal mistake from the five-time NBA champ.
The Lakers lost and blew a 3-1 lead against the Suns, and Barkley, after the game, labeled it as “BS”. Bryant didn’t take it too well, and that night, he argued with the Round Mound of Rebounds for three whole hours, cursing him left, right, and center.
“Kobe starts texting me [at] about one, two in the morning after we get off the air,” Barkley said to Fox Sports Sacramento. “He’s calling me every name in the book. And I’m texting him, ‘Yo man, I just didn’t like what you did, you know I got a lot of love and respect for you,’ blah blah.”
Barkley revealed that he tried calling Bryant up at that instant, but the Black Mamba was only interested in cursing him on text. “He won’t pick up the phone, he’s just MF-ing me… we do this for like three hours, and I’m like, ‘Man, just pick up the phone and call me’, but no. He’s like MF, MFO, SOB,” the Suns legend recalled.
Surprisingly, it didn’t take long before Bryant came to terms. To be fair, he was in the wrong, and his decision likely cost the Lakers a shot at winning and advancing all the way. When he met Barkley two months later, they shook on it and Bryant agreed to his mistake.
“When we saw each other a couple of months later, he was like, ‘Hey man, you were right, and I was wrong.'” Water under the bridge, and the love and respect between the two legends remained, unlike what happened between Barkley and his former best friend, Michael Jordan.
Chuck is unhinged. He doesn’t sugarcoat much, but maybe he should have when he called Jordan out for not running the Charlotte Hornets well. His Airness took the criticism to heart and stopped talking to Barkley, ending their friendship. Did Barkley change? Nope. He remains the same and will continue to speak his mind.
