“Luka Doncic Is A Bum”: Charles Barkley Calls Out The Media’s Hypocrisy On Their Takes Regarding The Lakers

Narratives can shift fairly quickly in the NBA, and sometimes, the U-turns can be absurd. Take the Lakers, for instance. Just a month ago, they were labeled a lost ship. At that point, nobody truly believed in the team despite the combination of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James. Now, they’re suddenly the darlings of the media again.

The Lakers have won nine in a row and are one of the more dominant teams in the Western Conference at the moment. James has shifted into a terrific supporting role behind Reaves and Doncic, who has been on a tear. In his last six games, the Don has dropped 51, 30, 36, 40, 60, and 33. 

Charles Barkley recognizes the Lakers’ ascension. The NBA legend was a guest on Jim Rome to speak about Doncic’s exceptional play over the last ten games, and in doing so. And, in a way that only Chuck can, he criticized the NBA media landscape for changing their tune on Doncic now and then.

“Three months ago, it was the greatest trade in sports history. Two weeks ago, ‘Luka was a bum.’ It’s almost comical when you wake up in the morning and watch TV,” chirped Barkley.

“Two weeks ago, Nico [Harrison] was right, the Lakers sting, blah blah blah. Two weeks later, they’re playing great,” added the Hall of Famer.

“Luka’s been playing great, he’s been unbelievable. Austin has played great, and LeBron is probably the best third wheel in NBA history.”

Charles Barkley on the Lakers’ 9-game win streak. pic.twitter.com/Zlf3yQ7iwL

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) March 23, 2026

Chuck can often over-embellish on topics, but he’s right on the money here. Reputed media networks have gone from providing reliable sports coverage to drama-stirring soap opera. If a player has a bad game, a bad week, the roof is falling in.

‘Experts’ give their hot takes on the Lakers regularly, and nine times out of 10, they are wrong. Barkley, by the way, could also fall into that category. However, despite him generally disliking the Lakers, he pays credit where it’s due, especially when it comes to Doncic.

“Luka is playing great. He’s been unbelievable. Austin has played great, and LeBron is probably the best third wheel in NBA history,” added Chuck.

That said, the Suns legend is still not convinced the Lakers can beat the elites in the West. “I don’t think they can beat OKC. I don’t think they can beat Denver. I don’t think they can beat the Spurs. I think the Rockets and Minnesota would be [an] interesting series, but they’re playing great,” said Barkley.

Those are monstrous teams, for sure. But disregarding the Purple and Gold right now would be a bad idea, too.

Doncic has been untouchable as a scorer lately. He’s even getting back on defense. Whether that’s because of the personal strife he is enduring from his relationship coming to an end or because he’s just inspired, it doesn’t matter. The Lakers are on a surge. And as Chuck mentioned, the media needs to start showing love to the league’s greatest franchise.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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