Charles Barkley rips 'idiots' at ESPN, future home of 'Inside the NBA,' for saying 'Lakers saved the NBA'

Charles Barkley isn’t a talking caput connected ESPN yet.

That volition hap adjacent year, erstwhile TNT’s fashionable “Inside the NBA” workplace amusement — which stars Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith arsenic analysts and Ernie Johnson arsenic big — volition beryllium licensed retired to aerial connected ESPN starting with the 2025-26 season.

In the meantime, Barkley doesn’t look to person a occupation ripping the existent ESPN talking heads, calling the radical collectively “idiots” and “fools” and singling retired 1 of them, Kendrick Perkins, by name.

Barkley did acknowledge, however, that “we going to go fools adjacent twelvemonth erstwhile we’ll beryllium moving connected that network.”

Speaking connected aerial Thursday, Barkley went connected a lengthy rant astir what helium perceives to beryllium partiality shown by ESPN toward the Lakers and Golden State Warriors, portion teams similar the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder are having amended wide seasons but don’t person the aforesaid magnitude of coverage.

The Cavaliers (52-10) and Thunder (51-11) person the 2 champion records successful the NBA. The Lakers and Warriors person travel connected beardown successful caller weeks, with L.A. going 9-2 since adding caller acquisition Luka Doncic to the lineup and Golden State besides going 9-2 since trading for Jimmy Butler.

Winners of their past 8 games, the Lakers person bolted up to No. 2 successful the Western Conference standings but inactive way Oklahoma City by 10½ games. The Warriors are astatine No. 6 successful the conference, 16½ games down the Thunder.

But the Lakers and Warriors person combined for 23 NBA titles wide and 10 since 2000, L.A astir precocious won it successful 2020 and Golden State successful 2022. The Cavaliers and Thunder person won 2 titles full (Cleveland successful 2016 and the Thunder erstwhile they were the Seattle SuperSonics successful 1979), which would look to springiness the California teams a imaginable borderline successful nationalist designation and popularity.

All of that acceptable the signifier for Barkley’s diatribe, which had the ex-Laker O’Neal successful stitches by the midway point.

“I saw a fool, idiot connected TV talking astir the Lakers saved the NBA,” Barkley said. “He’s an idiot and a fool, but helium cognize who helium is. What’s his name, Shaq? Kendrick Perkins. ... He said the Lakers saved the NBA season. That’s due to the fact that of them fools astatine the different network, which we’re going to beryllium moving astatine adjacent year, that’s each they speech about.

“Let maine archer y’all something. ... The Lakers are doing great. Got a agelong mode to go. But the season’s been going large for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Y’all conscionable privation to speech astir the Warriors and the Lakers. They’re some doing great, don’t get maine wrong. If I crook retired to beryllium wrong, I got nary occupation with that. But y’all are idiots origin y’all speech astir the Lakers and the Warriors each the time.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers person won 12 consecutive games. Oklahoma City got the MVP and they are connected fire. Y’all are talking astir who’s successful 2nd place. That’s the crushed I get pissed.

“Oklahoma City and the Cavs been balling for six months. Y’all talking astir teams that had 2 large weeks.”

Barkley went connected to instrumentality a changeable astatine the talking heads who similar to statement astir who is the all-time champion player, Michael Jordan oregon LeBron James.

“I’ve said it for years, the lone radical talking astir LeBron and Michael is radical connected tv who got nary endowment to speech astir thing else,” Barkley said.

TNT’s NBA relationship connected X posted a video of Barkley’s comments — calling them “an all-time Lakers rant” — but near retired the parts astir Perkins and immoderate of the remarks astir ESPN.

ESPN declined to remark for this story.

Perkins, connected the different hand, had plentifulness to accidental astir Barkley’s comments successful 2 posts Thursday connected X.

“Hey @NBAonTNT mightiness wanna tell that elder national Charles Barkley that I’ll beryllium around,” wrote Perkins, who played 14 years successful the NBA and won a rubric with the Boston Celtics successful 2008. “When helium spot an idiot oregon fool successful idiosyncratic marque definite helium support that aforesaid energy.”

Perkins added successful a abstracted station hours later, pursuing the Lakers’ overtime triumph implicit the New York Knicks: ““The Idiot” is headed connected @SportsCenter to speech ALL Lakers!!!! THEY said Bron and Luka couldn’t play together but their play accidental otherwise. THEY said we’re going to beryllium crying successful the greeting talking astir the Lakers. They’re WRONG AGAIN. … #IACTUALLYWATCHBASKETBALL”