Paul Finebaum applauds Charles Barkley calling Skip Bayless an ‘idiot’

Skip Bayless has been undisputedly successful in media. But he’s built that career by annoying a lot of people such as Charles Barkley. And, apparently, that list now includes Paul Finebaum too.

Finebaum joined the latest episode The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast. During the podcast, Finebaum lauded Charles Barkley’s decision to alter his will in the wake of last Friday’s Supreme Court ruling to end affirmative action in college admissions.

Finebaum’s Who’s Up: Charles Barkley.

Listen here:https://t.co/ilNU5z7ZHx pic.twitter.com/OtPkCRP5Zs

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) July 5, 2023

“This is politics aside, I stay away from that at all cost,” Finebaum said. “But after the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, [Barkley] decided to redo his will…to leave $5 million to Auburn University, his alma mater, to help keep Auburn diverse. I found that to be a remarkable gesture by Charles because a lot of people talk a big game and tweet about how wrong politics are…but Charles actually puts his money where his mouth is.”

Barkley had previously announced plans to leave $5 million to Auburn University, but after the recent Supreme Court ruling, he decided to alter the donation to ensure it gets used for scholarships for Black students. Regardless of your politics, Barkley’s immediate and tangible response to a Supreme Court ruling that he did not agree with should be commended. But amazingly, that’s not the only thing Barkley did that Finebaum felt was commendable.

“He did something else which really impressed me,” Finebaum continued. “He did what all of us have wanted to do for at least the last 25 years, and that’s call Skip Bayless an idiot.”

During last week’s broadcast of The Match, Barkley took a shot at Bayless by subtly calling him a “damn idiot” after referencing Shannon Sharpe’s buyout from Fox Sports. It continued what has been a decades-long and mostly one-sided feud, where Barkley has repeatedly criticized and threatened Bayless. But Finebaum has now made it clear that he’s no fan of his former ESPN colleague, hitting Bayless with the ultimate stray as he praised Barkley’s response to the recent affirmative action ruling.

[The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast]