ESPN and TNT have joined hands to bring forward the coverage of the In-Season Tournament SemiFinals. In the wake of this, a Charles Barkley clip from 2016 is making the rounds. In this video, the Inside the NBA panelist is mocking ESPN in his typical style. The video is from the segment aired in November 2016, when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant clashed for the first time after the latter moved to the Warriors.
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In the post-game analysis, the crew discusses how these two refused to acknowledge each other throughout the encounter. In the same vein, Barkley argued that he only acknowledges Kenny Smith because they are colleagues. To this Kenny asked that if Barkley switched to ESPN, would he then acknowledge him? Then Barkley quipped, ”Not gonna work me like a dog and not pay me”.
He then continued, ”They’ll have me on ESPN One, Two, Three, ESPN News, ESPNU, ESPN Radio! And they will come up with the little puny pay”. He also slid in a bilingual joke as the crew was in splits. He added, ”They’re gonna have me on ESPN Deportes, saying muy bein, gracias!”, as seen in Gabriel’s X post below.
Can’t forget when Charles Barkley roasted ESPN back in 16 https://t.co/H5Rqvwfpl5 pic.twitter.com/EK7mOE0dz7
— Gabriel (@OnlyBeingMe31) November 28, 2023
This further showcases that Barkley has no chill and also sets an interesting stage. As ESPN and TNT will collaborate, the 76ers legend will have more such hilarious moments. And to spice things up, the Inside the NBA quartet will join Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon. During the 2023 Playoffs, Chuck didn’t shy away from taking shots at Stephen A. Smith.
Stephen A. Smith promised revenge on Shaq and Charles Barkley
Derrick White was on fire during the 2023 Playoffs and his 26 points helped the Celtics defeat the Hawks in Game 2 of the First Round. During one of the press conferences, The Round Mound of Rebound noticed White’s hairline and ignited a hilarious joke train which Shaq also joined. He joked, ”Is that Derrick White or Stephen A.? We love you Stephen A. Stephen A. plays for the Celtics. He do First Take in the morning and plays for the Celtics.” The ESPN analyst took to X and playfully promised that he would get back to Shaq and Chuck.
Love all of my brothers on @NBAonTNT. But I’m gonna get @SHAQ and Chuck for comparing me with Derrick White. Y’all are gonna pay for that
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 19, 2023
Now, he will have a chance to get back at them as he will be joining them during NBA Countdown before TNT broadcasts the game. With such a loaded crew, fans are going to relish a lot of memorable moments. And while the game itself will be historical, the pregame show is going to be the stuff of the legends too.
