Charles Barkley: “I get sick of people saying they’re contenders… The Lakers are not a good team. I just think it’s funny how the media’s turned on Luka [Doncic]… I guess we’re contractually obligated to talk about them every day.”
Chuck: why do we have to talk about the lakers?
Ernie: because they’re playing in a few minutes
Chuck doesn’t pay any attention to the actual games, though..
Neither him or Shaq watch any film. Kenny is the closest one, but even he don’t watch that much. Their show is made for sound bites and YouTube clips.
I will say the Amazon broadcast with Nash, Dirk, and Blake have been refreshing bc they actually talk new age basketball.
The other thing that’s refreshing is that Nash, Dirk and Blake don’t spend their time trashing the game.
You don’t have to spend as much time as inside the nba does shitting on the current nba. Give credit where due and give brickbats where due Inside the nba lost that balance some time ago. Well, except Ernie
They also just got done with a lot of these guys or in Nash’s case coaching these guys.
They’re closer to this version of the game. Shaq been done almost 20 years and Chuck even longer.
Insane to think Shaq has been out almost 20 years
I thought that seemed too long, looks like this is year 15.
And the last few years weren’t pretty.
To be fair, Shaq being done for nearly 20 years is still true even if he only got out of the league 15 years ago, considering the later years of his career.
Yeah, you’re right.
But also you have guys like AI etc who retired years ago appreciate the current game. Now i would not take AI as commentator, he’s not articulate enough about what he appreciates.
KG is . (A bit foul mouthed for mainstream broadcast maybe). KG is closer than these guys, to your point. But i bet he still watches games years later, too
I agree. The cheeky comments were fun sprinkled atop actual analysis back in the day. Now it’s just cheeky bs with some shitty analysis sprinkled on top.
With a far superior product with Dirk etc. This inside the game need to shutdown asap
I’d love to see Ernie with some of those guys instead.
Kenny watches the packages the producers make for him.
😂 exactly. They rehearse what they are going to do racing to the screen more than actually breaking down the play.
Which to be fair, is still more than shaq and chuck do lol
I was really hoping this crew went away once TNT was phased out but unfortunately they stuck around. They were entertaining for some time but it just got annoying/ hating
Also don’t forget Udonis Haslem who has been great on that show.
Which would be silly for a commentator to be expected to do, right? Especially one that’s talking about the narrative being everyone’s talking about them too much … while he’s talking about them too much.
Well Chuck is untouchable and so brave for doing what they may or may not have told him to do anyway.
Also it saves him from having to actually find something else to fill the air with
You can tell he doesn’t have any notes in front of him…
Thank god Chuck hasn’t lost that edge with the change from TNT to ESPN.
As sharp as his golf swing
In his defense, they have to talk to them because they’re on TV because ESPN puts them on national TV all the time.
Then I’d argue chuck should either not join the conversation, talk about how the NBA puts them on national TV too much, or just talk about the game that’s going to be played. All he’s doing is saying we keep talking about them too much which is just the same as talking about them too much.
talk about how the NBA puts them on national TV too much Right before the game starts? That’s pretty close to saying “You don’t need to watch this game,” directly to the audience, and ESPN definitely would not like him saying that. And not join the conversation? Its literally his job.
I like that he doesn’t give a fuck and says whats on his mind, even if I don’t always agree.
talk about how the NBA puts them on national TV too much
Is this not the underlying sentiment of what he’s saying?
I’d agree except he’s saying they’re not contenders or a good team. Sure, but then he does his old man yells at cloud and say we’re contractually obligated to talk about them. When they’re about to play, yes you need to talk about them. When you’re commenting on all these other things you’re continuing the narrative which is what he’s complaining about to begin with.
This is the answer here. ESPN’s trash execs keep putting the Lakers on nationally televised ABC games because they need LA & Bron fodder for their declining 24⁄7 talking heads business model.
(In comparison, the Orlando Magic had a nationally broadcast NBC game 3 times this season!)
Number 7 ranked team in a shit hole town was on 3 times!? Wayyy too many
Yet another reason why I soured on the show. Like c’mon bro at least know that.
When they show classic clips it’s them having fun and enjoying their jobs. As they’ve aged you can see it’s them believing their legacy and what they say is gold.
I think it’s more so people are expecting a serious talk show from something that has always been entertainment first lol
They’ve been doing this for 20+ years and have made enough money. If they’re not having fun, they could easily leave. People (or maybe just Redditors) just take them way too seriously even when they themselves don’t
People act like we’re being deprived of an incredible ESPN show instead. EPSN has been horrific at anything other than the actual game broadcast. Their halftime show was each person gets one line and then back to commercials.
People keep complaining about bveing tired of Lakers talk… while shitting on the Lakers, everyone is literally doing the thing they say they’re tired of lol. No soul is viewing them as a contender anyway, so where even is the discourse coming from?
exactly lol I feel like I’m losing my mind. nobody thinks they’re contenders. everyone just enjoys complaining about complaining
They had the audacity to have a pretty good record at the start of the season so now people must shit on a mediocre team pretending everyone was yelling they were contenders. Even though there was a post everyday highlighting how terrible their point differential was for their record.
this sub complains about the TNT guys yet can’t stop talking about the TNT guys
lmao you got me there tbf
Not even Lakers fans are contenders. We’re just waiting for them to fire Rob Pelinka and get serious.
No one thinks they are not even the majority of Lakers fans. Barkley is making shit up.
Well that and it gives them a chance to appear wiser, and an excuse to talk about the lakers for more clicks and views
People were certainly talking about them like they were contenders last season after the Luka trade before the playoffs as well as during the offseason and start of the regular season this year
No sir. All anyone talked about during their hot start was Austin’s all-star bid and the awful net rating even as a 2 seed
All reasonable times to be optimistic on a teams potential.
And now, is a reasonable time to not be.
I think they are disillusioned these days but I did notice they were doing this exact thing the past two years in the playoffs. First the vendetta against the warriors then acting like they actually stood a chance against the wolves
You right 100%, but watch this thread jump to the top of r/nba just like others like it have for the past month anyways
They have some low-hanging fruit talking points that can feed podcasters for a year:
Lebron’s final year
Very weird team that is statistically fked up, doesn’t pass the eye test, but still above .500
Luka’s defense
All roleplayers put under a microscope for future fit with Luka
Blazers and Suns fans love the Ayton stuff
Aren’t these guys often given topics they need to talk about? Also, the segment was during the Lakers v. Warriors game.
If you’re given a topic you don’t want to talk about and are someone as untouchable as Chuck, might as well complain.
But I do agree with the general sentiment that these guys are non-stop negativity though.
First things First isn’t that much better but it’s a lot more positive than the other shows. Chris Broussard is a lot more tolerable than Stephen A and Kendrick Perkins.
and are someone as untouchable as Chuck, might as well complain
No, if you are as untouchable as Chuck, you can ignore the topic. What are they going to do about it if chuck ignores lakers, fire him ?
If you are as chuck and you want to comply and get brownie points from everyone- from management or don’t have anything better to fill air with, then you do what chuck just did
Viz : mentioning lakers for clicks and views , fulfill agenda topic checkbox, appear independent and wise to uninitiated etc
Yeah, I can’t imagine the pain of having to do my job…at my job
He literally just said they’re contractually obligated to talk about them…
NBA news runs in cycles one week it’s load management, next is tanking is bad, next is Lakers are bad it’s Luka fault, next week KAT and Brunson don’t work together etc
Lakers have a shot if Ayton turns into Clint
They have no shot then
If Ayton turns into prime capela and LeBron turns into 2020 LeBron they could win
If they have prime Capela and 2020 Lebron they beat every team in 4.
Possibly in 3 tbh
They would win in 0 because teams will stop playing out of respect
And if Reaves doesn’t disappear vs athletic teams like he tends to do
Well if we have playoff Luka, 2020 2way Lebron and Deandre ‘Clint capela’ Ayton, Reaves would hardly be the focus of the defense and he’s absolutely good enough to abuse that
And Prime Magic and prime Kareem
Hey. Ayton almost turned into Clint just the other day. Just a couple more rebounds and points and he would have matched the output of current clint
This is honestly not that far off. It would at least make them drastically better.
He’d be feasting if he just finished off Luka lobs all game like Clint would’ve
Clint Barton that is
Did Chuck lose weight? I was watching this with my friend, and he asked the same thing too. Seems like half the people in the comments are too.
Is this a real question? The guy lost like 30 pounds in his face alone
It’s one of the signature give aways of ozempic use. Natural weight loss thins the face out in a more natural toning. “Ozempic face” is this look here when it looks like somebody suddenly deflated you.
Another giveaway is all of the GLP-1 ads he’s been doing recently lol.
That’s a big stretch, come on now.
I guess you could be referring to how fast it helps people lose weight, but for the record outside of plastic surgery there’s no difference in how your body gains or loses fat in terms of aesthetic whether it’s “natural” or not.
It happens on any rapid weightloss, not just on ozempic.
Yeah it’s just correlation vs causation since a ton of the rapid weight loss out there is from ozempic, people are going to think it’s specific to ozempic.
that’s probably because it’s such a fast weightloss drug and we see him on the regular. if he suddenly made an appearance 5 years later, we wouldnt think he’s been on ozempic
Is that true? I thought that had to do with losing weight when older. Chubbier face hides wrinkles etc
You’re correct, they have no clue what they’re talking about. It only looks drastic because he’s lost so much weight.
Its just losing weight in general. Your face gets thinner just like every part of your body. There’s nothing special about losing weight with GLP-1s. It’s the same process
It is not true.
Formerly fat people looking a little odd when they first lose weight has been a thing forever. It just wasn’t as common cause losing weight is hard. Now we see a bunch of formerly fat celebs that lost weight with Ozempic and so we call it Ozempic face.
Let’s just be happy he’s healthier.
its literally just weightloss, theres nothing special about ozempic doing this to his face
The zempy
he’s on monjauro - and this isn’t just a case of people on internet accusing celebrities of using glp1s whenever they lose weight. barkley’s a spokesperson for ro and has spoken about using it extensively.
He said yesterday that he was on Zepbound.
today i saw him doing a commercial for Ro
is Chuck having a charcuterie board of weight loss drugs?
It’s the same drug.
I don’t know. He was asked about his weight loss on around the horn and mentioned zepbound.
Same thing. They are both Tirzepatide drugs made by Eli Lilly. Mounjaro is approved for diabetics. Zepbound is approved for weight loss. Other than the name they are exactly the same.
At this point he IS GLP-1 lol
He’s on ozempic or something similar
Mounjaro, fool!
Haha straight up
Kenny Smith said he was on Ro
he does commercials for Ro, just like Serena Williams.
Ro is a sales company
He’s the face of a weight loss drug lol
he’s been advertising for Ro for like 2 year now
Chuckzempic
Good news America! Wegovy now comes in a pill!
O-o-o-ozempic
hes on the skinny shots.
skinny shots are a life changer. Ask me how i know.
He says this every laker game. It’s fine to feel that way but maybe discuss the actual game
Or other teams God forbid
lol also said this during the 2020 postseason. Even said “the better team is not advancing” after we beat Portland in the 1st round.
That would mean the court jester has to watch the games and that’s too much to ask from this clown.
lol him shitting on the Lakers when Caruso said they’re contenders was funny asf
Chuck has been Lakers hater since … honestly forever.
He does make good points , but he is always reaching a bit when it comes to teams which he doesn’t like and it shows insanely….
It kind of was fun because Shaq was always defending Lakers and they had that cool dynamic… but yeah they are getting older and they are no changing their tune and it kind of is getting old
To be fair he’s been spot on about the Lakers the last few years.
He also predicted them to lose every series in their 2020 finals run. I’m not saying the Lakers are an elite team bc I don’t think they are rn, but Chuck is a straight up hater.
It’s easy to be wrong when they’ve been falling short most of the time which isn’t difficult to predict.
He was pretty against them too during the 2020 season but that didn’t turn out well for him. It also roughly coincides with when the “chuck guarantee” was memed for mostly being wrong
But he also gets weirdly personal about it too. I remember last year Redick called Chuck a hater in response to his comments about the Lakers not being contenders and Chuck went on a huge rant about how he can go after Redick’s tape and that he was stupid if he thought that he could fix the Lakers issues when Darvin Ham couldn’t.
Crazy that you’re forced to talk about the team that is playing on your network that night.
ikr lol this whole “why are we talking about them” schtick is getting so annoying
WHO THE FUCK SAYS LAKERS ARE CONTENDERS LOOK AT THEIR SUB
Yes but the media loves to put this on Luka. It’s Luka’s fault the roster is a joke.
Comes with leading the lakers.People will shit on the Lakers and since your name is in the front you get the harshest criticism. Kobe’s had his and LeBron even after passing the torch is still getting shit on.Realistically anyone who blames a singular person for the team’s deficiency should be ignored. Except for Pelinka
These stupid assholes have zero capability to talk about the actual games
They’re pretty open about not watching games. They kinda tune in when they’re working that specific game. But they don’t watch the NBA at large
I mean they definitely talk about the games tho (although they’re not going to offer coach level Xs and Os analysis and they’re definitely annoying and selective about the games they care about)but that’s just not what usually goes viral here, the clips everyone shares and watches are one like these.
and you keep engaging with their content
Inside the NBA fucking sucks dude. I don’t even necessarily dislike any of these dudes but basically all of them but Ernie have become so annoying and don’t even bother watching games
His ozempic ass is the one talking about them every day
Exactly… it’s a contractual obligation
Betcha it’s not actually in his written contract
Of course not, but you talk about what they tell you to talk about
hmm i wonder why. you’re almost there
Reread the title one more time buddy
Halfway through comprehending. Go go go go
After watching NBA on prime, this show really feels like The View - NBA version.
Bingo
Chuck looks great
The round mound of zepbound
Quality joke
Chuck looks deflated
Somebody get an eye on the whereabouts of Tom Brady
Funny, I was thinking he looks ill.
Genuinely looks skeletal to me. Doesn’t look healthy at all.
It’s his neck. It’s super thin and makes him look frail. I hope he’s well
Beastie Boys needa word
Ozempic Chuck
OzempChuck
He does. People just don’t realize that this is what a thin chuck would look like.
He just needs to buy new suits that fit him.
Please chuck find these people😂💀and you’re sick of people talking about them but YOU talk about the most unironically😂😂
Literally just straight complaining about the lakers for months, nobody thinks they’re contenders
I think his point is that despite that, the Lakers are still being talked about as much as the contenders are. Star power, I get it, but I think Charles is talking from the standpoint of merit
I see more of him complaining about the Lakers than anyone else talking about them.
So ig Chuck doesn’t necessarily hate Basketball. He just hate the Lakers lmao
I’m a Lakers fan and Chuck isn’t wrong. Besides Luka and AR our team is ass. Bron plays well when he feels like it and none of them can play good defense. On top of that we might have the worst bench in the league. And people are blaming JJ now for this shit roster.
Charles is right as usual.
“Everythings Lukas fault right now, I find that hilarious” hits the nail on the head lol.
Whole situation just keeps breakin my heart… Luka was one of the most joyful players in the league, and dude just looks absolutely defeated lately. Obviously has his flaws, but the amount of blame being placed on his shoulders is honestly horseshit.
Charles being obnoxious and saying nothing valuable as usual
Dang Chuck looking lean and mean!
Chuck looks 150lbs lighter and 30 years older. Dude looks rough. Lay off the ozempic
He looks way better now than he did when he was fat. The only problem is his suits still look like it was tailored to his old, fat self lol
He needs to buy a new wardrobe is all.
He’s not wrong, and Lebron needs to hang it up def holding up the team
Well said Sir Charles
ESPN talks about a play-in Lakers team more than the actual 1 seed.
Get paid to shit on the game. Must be nice
And here we are doing it for free.
we doing it for the love of the game
I mean he’s right, when the Lakers win they talk abt the Luka being the mvp but if they lose instead of talking about the winning team, they talked about blaming whoever the fck they want.
I love it when Chuck gets passionate about something he knows to be true
Just retire Lebum. As long as Lebum is in the league all the sports talking heads will say his team is in the running and we’ll have to hear about it until they are knocked out. I have Lebum fatigue at this point.
lmao love Chuck
This sub gets so mad when Chuck shit talks the Lakers. If you hate the show so much why do you watch it?
The Celtics are a marquee franchise, too. When is the last time you devoted nightly conversations to them during a season, Ernie?
Lakers has a crap lineup ever since they traded for Westbrook. They got the luck in for Luka but that doesn’t take away their whole lineup is crap one lop sided
Lakers fans claim its their year every single year. It doesn’t matter what happened the previous season or if they made any offseason moves at all.
Lmao he just said “I wanna apologize to laker nation. The lakers are contenders” in the first moment of the halftime break
I fuckin love chuck so much
The Chuckster is so right. It’s so apparent that the league doesn’t cover good or interesting teams just whichever has the biggest names. Kenny is so soft and he’s like mainstream media incarnate. Just fellate the biggest names y’know? He’s so fucking boring.
AR, LeBron and Luca have all missed large patches of the season. They’re just now starting to string together a few games as a full unit. They’re still not contenders this year but they’re better than what Charles is saying.
Two future hall of famers, cool. But one of them is on the wrong side of 40 and missed double digit games before the all star break.
When did Chuck join the FBI? That suit been retired since Will Smith was MIB.
Word
Ernie is such a company man lmao
Chuck’s hilarious, but he’s kinda right
That was real as fuck. They ARE contractually obligated to talk about the god damn lakers
Chuck is making the stupid people in this sub implode and I absolutely love it
Lemedia is working overtime to pass the blame to luka and reaves.
Correct, the Lakers are trash - especially against actual good teams.
Chuck is a huge Laker hater!
BUT
As a laker fan he ain’t wrong this team we got right now is ass
They go through this same conversation like 3 times a year
It’s funny because I feel like this year LeBron isn’t getting his usual media glazing. It’s like his irrelevant and just another former great that’s in his twilight. Complete contrast from last year when the dude was (deservedly most of the time mind you) praised for doing shit at forty.
Except he’s still decent. The team is just poorly constructed (understandably) and the Laker hype machine has done a huge disservice to overrating their role players like Rui, Laravia, Smart, Vando, and Ayton. Let’s be real, the Lakers would do well to move on from half of those guys, even Rui.
Reminds me of the killer lakers in the 00’s. With shaq, kobe, malone, payton & nash. Didn’t get far either
If you have something critical to say to a player, preface it by saying something positive. That way when you get to the criticism, at least you know they’ll be listening.
Bud Grant
I love Chuck man. Keep it real Barkley.
Chuck on the zempic crazy lollll
Charles seems to be the only one NOT following the NBA script of keeping the big markets relevant only.
Start of the season the thoughts were the Lakers would be an average team outside the top tier teams in the west and that it’s a transition year. Why is there so much pearl clutching about them being exactly this? 😂
This is amazing…….
JFC..watching everyone else on the panel have to sanewash the bs Lakers’ talk is so fricking funny. If anything, Barkley let them off the hook with just those lines…..
He’s a generational hater I respect it