The 2025 March Madness tournament has reached the Elite Eight round and the eyes of the nation are all tracking Cooper Flagg. The Duke Blue Devils star, who is being pegged as a top prospect for the NBA, had a barn-burning performance against the Arizona Wildcats, and finally put to rest any concerns fans might have had about the minor ankle injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago. Flagg has been dominant, and it’s pissing Charles Barkley off.
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Chuck recently appeared on The Dan Patrick Show to weigh in on the annual tournament after its first full week of play and of course, Flagg’s name got brought up. “He’s a terrific young player,” the NBA legend began. “He looks amazing on television, I can’t wait to see him in the NBA.” Terrific indeed. Flagg killed the Wildcats on both sides of the court. Along with his 30 points, he had 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
However, Barkley did have some criticism about Flagg, but it was more aimed at how he’s portrayed on commentary.”I hate when guys on television try to compare him,” Chuck admitted.
He explained that it’s a disservice to young players to mention them in the same vein as Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. Flagg himself has been hailed as a potential MJ-type prodigy. That didn’t sit too well with Barkley, who made a bold statement about just how vicious of a player His Airness was.
“I think Michael Jordan has killed more people than the plague,” stated Barkley in all seriousness. “They’re like ‘This guy’s the next Michael Jordan. He won’t turn out to be Michael Jordan,” he added. Chuck didn’t seem vindictive in his assessment. He just doesn’t want a young man (Flagg is 18) to have to carry the burden of being compared to an all-time great.
In this case, Chuck isn’t wrong. How often has a player been knighted as the potential future of the league, and it turned out to be a bust? Sebastian Telfair and Greg Oden’s names come to mind. They were perceived as legends before tip-off began, but they never caught up. Flagg has all the momentum. Putting him in the same category as Jordan is only going to paint a target on his back.
Despite his strong assessment, Barkley has been sort of lazy when it comes to covering college basketball
Barkley has been public about his love for college ball, specifically March Madness. But the 11-time All-Star has taken a lackadaisical approach in covering it.
Just last week Chuck was asked his thoughts on the Xavier vs. Illinois matchup during live coverage on TNT. He had no answer, and claimed that he was too focused on the MSU and Bryant game, an answer that had his co-hosts in tears.
Ernie Johnson asked Charles Barkley what his biggest takeaway from the first half of Xavier-Illinois was.
Chuck was not expecting that question and was unable to answer it.
He was watching Bryant-Michigan St. pic.twitter.com/HQduujDBg5
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 22, 2025
While the moment may have been slightly embarrassing for the now 62-year-old legend, many fans actually defended him in the comments.
“Chuck is so honest,” wrote one person, who added a laughing emoji. “This is good TV,” agreed a second person. Regardless, Barkley should stay on his A-game (whatever that means) and give each March Madness matchup the true attention it deserves.
