The list of NBA All-Star starters for the Eastern and Western Conference was released recently. While there are some notable snubs on the official list as well, fans’ attention was mostly drawn by Charles Barkley’s picks on Inside the NBA. The NBA legend picked Giannis Antetokounmpo as an All-Star reserve for the East, which fans didn’t receive well.
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Barkley’s list of East All-Star starters includes Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The other two NBA legends on the show, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, picked Giannis as a starter.
When pressed about the Greek Freak snub in the starting lineup, Chuck said that he wouldn’t change his pick. Although it’s a personal choice, picking Brown over Giannis as a starter was bound to tick some people off against Barkley. After seeing his picks, fans have started trashing the NBA legend on social media.
One fan said that the NBA media is full of clowns, referring to Barkley snubbing Giannis as a starter. He wrote, “Charles Barkley had Giannis on the bench for All-Star game, NBA media is full of clowns.”
Charles Barkley had Giannis on the bench for All Star game, NBA media is full of clowns and retards. pic.twitter.com/WqU4AzT1Zq
— Maxence (@Xenceee) January 24, 2025
A Lakers fan also called Barkley a clown. He took it a step further by adding that they should’ve gone off-air if this is the standard that they’re going to present.
This 🤡 got Giannis as an all star reserve
Damn man we was this close to having this show gone forever 🤦🏿♂️ pic.twitter.com/6xmH6TGRLL
— Coach James🇭🇹 (@TheJamesEdrick) January 24, 2025
A Giannis fan was left scratching his head over Chuck’s pick. He wondered what was the thought process of the NBA legend while coming up with these choices.
Charles Barkley has Giannis as a reserve for the all star lmao
What a joke this is so weird idk what going on in that head of his pic.twitter.com/SFI2BaMFIi
— Formerly GiannisWorld (@GiannisWorld_) January 24, 2025
Regardless of one’s preferences, not picking Giannis as a starter is an absurd choice. The Bucks superstar is easily a top-three player in the league right now. Even if Barkley was giving weight to the team’s overall record in his selection process, picking Brown over Giannis doesn’t make sense. The Bucks have lost only four more games than the Celtics.
The 30-year-old Bucks superstar has put up MVP-worthy numbers so far this season. He is averaging 31.5 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in 35 games while shooting over 60% from the field. Fortunately, Giannis was picked on the official East All-Star starters list alongside Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
