Charles Barkley eviscerates JJ Redick, Lakers on TNT broadcast
01/03/2025 01:47 AM
While there hasn’t been a lot of talk about Charles Barkley during the 2024-25 NBA season, the turn of the calendar to 2025 gave Barkley a reason to get fired up: Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick.
Recently, amidst the latest wave of concern over NBA television ratings, former NBA analyst Redick pointed to a lack of "storytelling" and "celebrating the game" as key issues the league is grappling with. He added, "If I'm a casual fan and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I'm not going to watch the product."
Barkley caught wind of Redick’s remarks, and despite “Inside” covering highlights from the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves game, he shifted his focus to Redick.
Charles Barkley’s tirade on JJ Redick
"Y'all heard JJ Redick said something about me?" Barkley started.
"JJ, you better calm down, cause when you come for the king, you better not miss … He said something about we're the reason people ain't watching this crappy product we got. Yeah, us, like we're out there jacking up 100 threes a night … JJ, you come for the king, you best not miss, cause I can get you, brother," Chuck passionately continued.
"Remember, I got your Lakers games, you can't hide them flaws they got. You just a dead man walking — they got rid of Frank Vogel who did a good job, they got rid of Darvin Ham who did a good job. You came out there thinking you were gonna change things with that same ugly girl you went on a date with – the Lakers stink.," Barkley said.
It’s important to note that Redick didn’t directly point to the “Inside” crew as the problem. However, Barkley pressed on, taking aim at both the Lakers and Redick, sarcastically suggesting that Redick believed he could turn things around in L.A. He also delved into his concerns about the way the game is being played.
"We're the reason ratings are down. We're the reason, like we're playing. If me and Shaq played, the ratings would be down. But in fairness, if me and Shaq played, we'd be like the third and fourth best players on that Laker team right now … bums out there, but it's Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham's fault! I'm tired of these people jacking up 100 threes saying we're the reason ratings are down. 'Thirty seconds to another three-point shooting contest!’"
Charles Barkley just eviscerated JJ Redick on national tv pic.twitter.com/fjja7HLtw5
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 3, 2025
Some valid points on Redick’s comments
Barkley went off on the Lakers head coach, who is still in his debut season. Although Redick and Barkley don’t appear to have any personal history, Redick’s public remarks were enough to spark a fiery response from the former NBA star.
The Inside the NBA analyst not only seemed to threaten Redick but also labeled him a “dead man walking,” hinting at the uncertain job security that comes with being Lakers head coach. Several of Redick’s predecessors, such as Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham, were dismissed despite guiding the team to significant playoff success.
At the same time, JJ’s point was valid. Watching the halftime show made it clear. The game between Minnesota and Boston was exciting, but as soon as it went to the TNT studio, Chuck, Kenny, and Shaq criticized it relentlessly.
Both teams were shooting well from beyond the arc, but instead of appreciating the game, they tore it down. This is exactly what Redick was getting at — a solid matchup between two strong teams was dismissed as if it were a bad game, which it certainly wasn't.
After tonight’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Redick and the Lakers will take on the Atlanta Hawks at 10:30 PM EST at Crypto.com Arena.
The post Charles Barkley eviscerates JJ Redick, Lakers on TNT broadcast appeared first on ClutchPoints.
