Charles Barkley dropped an expletive after midnight on Inside the NBA and Ernie Johnson quickly reminded him the wasn’t the place for that.
Barkley doesn’t love everything about this era of the NBA’s brand of basketball or the mindset of the modern player, and it all came to a head Thursday night. With Pat Riley, the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler entangled in a mess down in South Florida, Barkley seemed to have enough.
Kenny Smith recalled how Butler used to be known for his work ethic, prompting Shaquille O’Neal to claim the disgruntled Heat forward doesn’t have any reservations about playing hard, he just lost his joy for the game in Miami. To counter Shaq, it’s difficult to play hard if you don’t want to play at all.
“We’ve all been fairly compensated in our career. All of us. The notion that once you’re past your prime, they gotta keep paying you top dollar, I don’t think that’s right.” – Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/3eHZYsoInF
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 8, 2025
“First of all, that’s total bull***t. Stop it, man,” Barkley ranted in response to Shaq.
“Hey, this is not the podcast,” Johnson quickly interjected after hearing Barkley drop the S-bomb on live TV.”
“I’m sorry, I apologize,” Barkley said. “I don’t wanna hear all that stuff. This is all about money. So don’t tell me he got no joy or all this. He wants a long-term contract. Don’t give me that.”
Shaq and Smith agreed with Barkley, adding that Butler holds enough credibility in the league to acknowledge that it’s about money and a new contract. Butler, however, claims it’s about joy.
“And Pat Riley said no!” Barkley continued. “Pat Riley said no. He’s gonna make $55 million next year… you have a contract, Shaq. You don’t get to say, ‘Unless you extend me, I’m just gonna quit playing.’”
“You know what bothers me? I don’t understand, why we as players, we’ve all been fairly compensated in our career. All of us. The notion that once you’re past your prime, they gotta keep paying you top dollar, I don’t think that’s right.”
Barkley doesn’t think it’s right, actually, he thinks it’s bull***t.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com