Charles Barkley is one of the few NBA personalities on TV right now who can simultaneously be brutally honest but also entertaining.
Whereas others in similar positions come across as haters, he just comes across as unapologetically real.
During a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Barkley went into great detail about one particular incident involving Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant that speaks to the core of who he is.
This one came after Barkley called Bryant out for refusing to shoot in Game 7 of the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against the Phoenix Suns.
“I criticized Kobe Bryant one time & he called me from 1-4 in the morning cursing me out like a dog.. called me every name in the book” 😂😂 ~Charles Barkley#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/Smb0LIpJPx
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 16, 2021
“I went off on him after the game saying, ‘Kobe, I’ve always liked you, but what you did tonight was bogus. You didn’t take a shot in the second half. You were trying to prove a point that you didn’t have any help,’” Barkley said.
“He called me from 1 o’clock in the morning until 4 o’clock in the morning, cursing me out like a dog. It was all in text (message). We were going back and forth and I was like, ‘Yo, would you please call me?’ He called me every name in the book.”
Whether he is calling out LeBron James and his crew for being shady or explaining why he isn’t friends with Michael Jordan any longer, Barkley always tells it how it is.
Jake Paul and Julia Rose are going to extreme measures. https://t.co/ROTmOdoPsN
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 18, 2021
It’s why he is who he is.
And no matter how much people try to cancel him, he has no plans to change for anybody.
Related: Raptors’ Fred VanVleet Mocks Lakers’ Russell Westbrook (Video)
Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
