One of the hottest feuds happening in the NBA isn’t taking place on the court, but between two old wolves in the studios. Charles Barkley and Kendrick Perkins are building toward an epic showdown worthy of WrestleMania, and things will only get worse next year when both will be working for the same network.
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The animosity got reignited after Perk recently claimed that the Lakers had “saved the NBA” thanks to their excellent play that was sparked by the massive Luka Doncic acquisition. That didn’t sit right with Chuck, who gave his rebuttal on a recent NBA on TNT, and called the 2008 NBA Champion an “idiot and a fool” in the process.
Barkley stated that the “Lakers have had a great two weeks,” but the excellent play of the 1st place Thunder and the 1st place Cavaliers has constantly been overlooked by Perk, as well as the other “fools” at ESPN. “We gonna become fools next year cause we’ll be working on that network,” added Barkley, reminding viewers that Inside the NBA moves to ESPN for the 2025-2026 season.
Well, Perk didn’t appreciate being ridiculed on live television, especially by an enemy. The controversial analyst took to X and aired his grievances with the 11-time All-Star, calling him a “senior citizen” and begging him to keep that same energy when they eventually see each other in person.
“Hey @NBAonTNT might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around,” Perk stated. “When he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy. He can come playing with me if he want to and imma Address his ass like the numbers on a house.”
Hey @NBAonTNT might wanna tell that senior citizen Charles Barkley that I’ll be around. When he see an idiot or fool in person make sure he keep that same energy. He can come playing with me if he want to and imma Address his ass like the numbers on a house. Straight from the 409…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 7, 2025
There are some truths to what both pot stirrers are saying. The Thunder and the Cavs have been playing inspired ball “for six months” as Chuck mentioned.
However, the Doncic trade and the Lakers resurgence did inject life into the league ahead of the All-Star break, and has given the NBA more positive press than it had before the trade happened. Does that mean we need to see a 40-year old man fight a 62-year old NBA legend? No, but a video of the scrap would do numbers.
Perkins had a legitimate gripe with Barkley before all this “save the season” talk
Barkley has a gift for gab, but something he said in the past really got under Perkins’ skin, and the former Celtic hasn’t let it go. During an appearance on the Road Trippin show, Perk recalled Chuck speaking about Lakers when AD was still on the squad, and publicly referred to the team as “LeBron, AD, and the rest of them bums.”
“That sh** right there pissed me off,” Perkins admitted. “There’s no player in the f**king league that deserved to be called a bum. Like, you make it to this level for a reason. When you have a platform like that, you shouldn’t be disrespecting players like that.”
It’s nice to see Perkins stand up for lesser known players, especially to someone as harsh as Chuck. But to pretend that he doesn’t also do the same thing would be laughable. This might not have been Perk’s Jordan Flu game of bad takes, but he should also look into a mirror and address the true enemy of the state.
