“Is He Wearing Pearls?!”: Charles Barkley Reacts to Deandre Ayton’s Accessory in Return to Phoenix After Trade

Deandre Ayton recently returned to the Phoenix Suns for the first time since he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers by the franchise. Due to the gravity of that storyline alone, many tuned in to the game, excited to see how the big man would perform. However, what not many expected was for Ayton to create a talking point before the contest even began.

Charles Barkley, along with the rest of the Inside the NBA crew, was tasked with reacting to the highlights from the Blazers vs Suns. Right before they started though, Ayton was spotted with what looked like pearls around his neck. A bizarre fashion choice, especially for a pre-game shootaround, Barkley especially couldn’t believe his eyes. Watch the clip in the X (Formerly Twitter) post below by ‘Oh no he didn’t‘ to see his initial reaction.

“Is he wearing Pearls?! Oh hell no!”

Barkley added,

“Come on, man! A grown man can’t wear pearls!”

Barkley’s reaction may be an obtuse one. Admittedly, though, as with just about everything he does, the way he puts it across couldn’t be any more hilarious.

Phoenix still loves Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton had a relatively impressive showing during his night in Phoenix. In a little over 30 minutes, Ayton recorded 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, one steal, and a block, and shot 64.3% overall.

Ayton clearly wanted to show his former team what they were missing. This is something Devin Booker seemed to very much enjoy, as seen in the X post by Gerald Bourguet.

It wasn’t just Booker, who reacted positively to the former Suns center. As Nick King revealed on X, the big man stayed back in the arena for a long time after the game ended just so that he could tend to his fans in the city.

Ayton may not have had the most glamorous exit from Phoenix. However, the city’s love for him has clearly remained strong.