Charles Barkley has never been shy when it comes to criticizing Joel Embiid.
The NBA on TNT analyst and Inside the NBA star has been a vocal critic of Embiid. Barkley has often challenged the Sixers star, notably in a past confrontation where Barkley bluntly told Embiid to “kiss his a**” if he didn’t appreciate the criticism.
And that criticism has continued, including on a podcast of one of Embiid’s new teammates in Paul George. During an appearance on Podcast P with Paul George earlier this week, Barkley took aim at Embiid’s performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I hope this is a wake-up for Joel, this Olympic experience,” Barkley said. “He has not played well. And I’m hoping he’s like, ‘Yo, man, I got to get in better shape,’ because, me personally, I think that’s one of the reasons he’s always injured — I don’t think he’s in good enough shape. But I think the way he’s played, which is not well during the Olympics, should be a wake-up call for him. ‘You know what? I gotta get in better shape. I gotta get healthy. Because if we don’t win the championship or go deep in the playoffs, it’s gonna be because of me.’
“He keeps getting hurt. And, like I said, he’s got to take some responsibility for that. Bringing in (Paul George), (Tyrese) Maxey’s a stud; bringing in all those other guys, if Joel doesn’t do his thing, the Sixers are not going to win. And like I said, he has not played well at this Olympic games at all. And I’m hoping somebody can get to him and say, ‘Yo, man, you need to get in better shape,’ because the way you play in the NBA when you just go up-and-down the court, pounding inside, No. 1, you can’t win consistently like that in the NBA today. But also, you got to be a little bit embarrassed the way you play in the Olympics.”
George offered no rebuttal to Barkley’s assessment.
Instead, he explained that he had recently spoken with Embiid about the challenges of playing for Team USA. George suggested that the abundance of talent on the Olympic roster might be contributing to Embiid’s adjustment period, in which he’s appeared to be deferential at times.
Obviously, only time will tell if Joel Embiid takes Barkley’s criticism to heart and uses it as motivation to improve his conditioning. Perhaps the addition of George will be another motivating factor as Philadelphia continues its long pursuit of a championship ring.
