“Try not to let my kids watch Charles Barkley on TV”: When LeBron James and Kobe Bryant hilariously roasted the Suns legend for joining ‘Inside the NBA’

Charles Barkley got roasted by legends such as Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James for joining the ‘Inside the NBA’ crew in the early 2000s. 

Inside the NBA did not become a staple within the league until Charles Barkley decided to join Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith as a crew member prior to the commencement of the 2000-01 season. Sure, the show did pick up quite a bit of steam during the 1998 season when ‘The Jet’ joined Ernie but Chuck’s involvement drew viewers in like no other NBA personality could. 

From the get-go, Charles Barkley established himself as being one of the most outspoken analysts on television with practically no filter on what he wanted to say. Fast-forward 20 years and the Suns legend has still found a way to stay true to his personality amidst the rise of cancel culture.

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Though Chuck’s got an incredible personality, one that’s perfect for national television, his basketball takes aren’t always on point. Granted, he did end the 2020-21 season with 6 straight ‘GUARNTEEs’ that all proved to be right; however, prior to that streak, his takes were freezing cold for the most part. 

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Shaquille O’Neal roast Charles Barkley and his NBA opinions. 

Advertisements nowadays aren’t nearly as incredible as they were 20 years ago and this rings true for adverts surrounding the NBA as well. Charles Barkley making a move basketball analysis shortly after retiring from a career that was filled with controversial moments had many scratching their head. 

In an effort to get the public talking about the hiring, ‘Inside the NBA’ put out a couple hilarious sketches that demonstrated the general consensus on how many felt about him being on the show. The ads used for this showed guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and even Shaq talking about Chuck not being all too bright.

 

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“I try not to let my kids watch,” said LeBron while Kobe said, “Chuck, not really sure what he knows about the game.” Even Shaq, well before becoming Charles’s foil on NBAonTNT a decade down the line, pitched in with his own opinion. “Chuck proves that real basketball knowledge is overrated.”