“We ain’t done.” Draymond Green revealed that this is what Stephen Curry told him in the aftermath of the Warriors’ disappointing end last season. It did not speak well when the team that won 4 championships in the last decade could not even make the Play-Ins. LeBron James and Co. delivered another major blow to NBA fans after passing through the Play-In but being unable to make it past the first stage of the playoffs. While these stand as proof for some that both the Warriors and Lakers need to improve for the next season, Charles Barkley believes that it is only evidence that the days of both franchises are numbered.
The Philadelphia 76ers legend recently made an appearance on the first episode of The Jim Jackson Show. During the same, he touched base on how many of his “friends” over at ESPN are spending their days talking up the Warriors and the Lakers. This was something that did not resonate well with the former player, since he believes “The Warriors and the Lakers both stink, ok? The Warriors and the Lakers both stink.” While Barkley holds no personal animosity against the two franchises, he just does not wish to hear them as being championship contenders.
“No, they’re not in the playoff hunt. They’re in some stuff that Adam Silver made up called a Play-In, that’s what they’re in, okay? They’re in the Play-In. Neither one of these teams are any good,” said the 62-year-old. “They act like the Lakers and the Warriors are contenders. They’re not, they’re Play-In candidates. Love LeBron, he’s amazing, but the Lakers and the Warriors are not contenders plain and simple. So stop it, Jimmy.”
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For 15 years, Curry and LeBron have been fierce competitors, bringing immense popularity to their franchises. As a result, Statista has handed the top spots to both Warriors and Lakers in their ranking of the ‘Most popular NBA teams among fans in the United States as of January 2024.’ Despite this, Charles Barkley hasn’t been so easily swayed by heading where the rest of the herd does. Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time that the former player has chosen to target the teams, as he made “The Lakers stink! The Warriors stink!” remark also on Bill Simmons Podcast back in early September.
Prior to that, he had highlighted his opinion on The Dan Patrick Show last season, whilst also predicting that the Lakers would get rid of Darvin Ham as head coach. Therefore, while the NBA world can debate on which are Barkley’s favorite teams, there seems to be no question about which teams are his least favorites.
Charles Barkley’s remarks on Jim Jackson’s show come right after LeBron James sat down for an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. During the same, he claimed, “I don’t have any expectations. And that’s unfair to put any expectations on us right now. The only thing that we can count on each other is how we come to practice and come to work every day.”
via Reuters
Along with experimenting with a new head coach and a string of new players that includes the All-Time Leading Scorer’s son Bronny, LeBron is following Zendaya’s classic quote from Spider-Man: “If you expect disappointment, then you can never really get disappointed.” Despite this, Barkley is not looking to rest. After all, if a warning from an ex-ESPN employee cannot be enough, then what can be?
Amid “Warriors and the Lakers both stink”, a concerned radio host asked Charles Barkley to back downIf you are a renowned figure in the NBA world, and then use your platform to continuously criticize two of the most popular franchises, it will be very hard for any attention to not be diverted towards you. With Charles Barkley not being as active on social media, other ways had to be found to send the message to him.
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Back in early September, radio host and former face of ESPN affiliate, Mike Missanelli, hosted Barkley on his podcast. During the segment, Missanelli revealed that he received a text from ESPN’s former program director, which read, “Tell Barkley to stop hating all my Warriors. People in the Bay want a piece of him.” Even before he was read out the message, Barkley took a shot at his haters by stating, “Are we supposed to tell you what you want to hear?” Later, however, he highlighted himself as a man of belief who chose to stand his ground.
“For 3 months they had a discussion ‘who’s going to make a better run? The Lakers or the Warriors.’ And I’m like ‘yo man, the Warriors and the Lakers both stink.’ I had to hear this for three months every day on ESPN. ‘Who’s going to run make?’ ‘A run?’ I said neither,” said Barkley.
Suffice to say that when Barkley returns to television broadcasting during the regular season, fans better be ready to hear some hot takes. Whenever LeBron James and/or Stephen Curry step on the court with their teams, even the behind-the-scenes will be entertaining to watch.
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Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.