Charles Barkley isn’t looking to make friends at ESPN.
The current TNT analyst will be moving to the broadcaster along with his show ‘Inside the NBA‘ in the fall but that didn’t stop the NBA legend from blasting his future coworkers.
Barkley took aim at ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins and labelled him as an ‘idiot’ on Thursday after the analyst offered his bold Los Angeles Lakers take.
“Right now, the Los Angeles Lakers are saving the NBA,” Perkins told his fellow ESPN hosts on Wednesday.
Perkins’ opinion comes as the Lakes are riding a eight-game winning streak and have won the last 18 of their 20 games with LeBron James and Luka Doncic starring for the franchise.
Barkley used his Friday night slot to launch a blistering rant, slamming Perkins for that view before the Lakers beat the New York Knicks 113-109 in Los Angeles.
“I saw a fool, idiot on TV saying the Lakers saved the NBA,” Barkley told TNT co-hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.
“He’s an idiot and a fool but he knows who he is.
“First of all, the Lakers have had a great two weeks, he said the Lakers saved the NBA season. That’s because them fools on the other network, which we’re going to be working for next year, that’s all they talk about.”
Barkley’s two and half minute rant continued with him claiming all those at ESPN do is talk about the Lakers and the Warriors.
“Let me tell y’all something, the reason the season’s been going great is the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder,” Barkley added.
“Y’all just want to talk about the Warriors and the Lakers. They’re both doing great, don’t get me wrong. If I turn out to be wrong, I got no problem with that.
“But y’all are idiots cause y’all talk about the Lakers and the Warriors all the time.
“Hey, the Lakers are doing great. I don’t mind being wrong. The Warriors are doing great, but that’s cause you fools on the other network, which we going to become fools next year because we’ll be working on that network.
“But Oklahoma City and the Cavs been balling for six months. Y’all talking about teams that had two great weeks.”
The Hall of Famer would finish his rant by taking aim at the wider coverage at ESPN, claiming that all they talk about is the same stuff everyday.
“This lame-ass LeBron James-Michael Jordan debate. I’ve said it for years, the only people talking about LeBron and Michael is people on television who got no talent to talk about anything else,” Barkley said.
“I been saying that for years. I ain’t hanging onto the ’90s.”
After Barkley’s devastating rant took social media storm, both Stephen A Smith and Perkins responded to his digs at their employers.
“Yo Chuck, stop the b.s. with the “y’all. Attach a name to it. I know I’ve been talking about Cavs being the No.1 threat to the Celtics,” Smith posted on X.
“Once you come over here, there’s gonna be some folks waiting to call YOU a fool.”
While Perkins took a harsher response to Barkley’s direct aim at him.
“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,” Perkins posted on X
“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 homeboy and we bar none and fade all.”
Starting for the 2025/26 Inside the NBA will air on ESPN and ABC as part of the sub-licensing agreement.
Therefore, Perkins, Smith and Barkley will all be co-workers come this fall.
