Charles Barkley was not pleased in the least bit by Kenny Smith walking off the Inside the NBA set in support of the Milwaukee Bucks’ protest last month.
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The NBA was shut down for 3 days after the Milwaukee Bucks decided to forfeit their Game 5 against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Bucks had a 3-1 lead in the series at that point and were expected to finish the job off on that day.
As things panned out, however, the players’ strike was a short-lived one. An agreement between the NBA owners and the Players’ Association ensued, with the setting up of a fund to promote racial equity worth $300 million.
Charles Barkley’s problem with Kenny Smith’s walk out
First, let’s take a look at how exactly Kenny Smith decided to walk out from the set.
.@TheJetOnTNT stands with the NBA players. pic.twitter.com/39Sby1D5kn
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 26, 2020
According to Barkley, his major bone with The Jet’s decision to walk off was that it came right after he condemned the Bucks for not giving their opponents a heads up. In effect, The Jet did to the Inside crew exactly what Barkley was condemning the Bucks for.
“I was pissed at Kenny,” said Charles Barkley
“Because I didn’t think he should’ve walked off. He should’ve told us in advance. Because I had just said that it was bogus what the Milwaukee Bucks just did to the Orlando Magic. They didn’t tell them.”
“And then like 30 seconds later, he did the exact same thing. I had no problem with him walking off. He should’ve told us so we could’ve prepared. The show was like, ‘Uh-oh.’” he added
Nevertheless, there doesn’t seem to be any disagreement between the two ever since. Whatever differences they might have had over the night were definitely resolved.