Charles Barkley did not hold back in criticizing ESPN for their coverage during Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Barkley was particularly upset with the network’s focus on the Los Angeles Lakers’ pursuit of UConn coach Dan Hurley, which overshadowed the championship clash between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks and he made his feelings clear during an appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me” with Dan Dakich.
“I’m not going to lie. I love Dan Hurley. This has nothing to do with Dan Hurley and good luck with him if he goes to the Lakers. But I was so pissed. With Game 1 of the Finals and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals coming on for them to spend the first hour talking about what if Danny Hurley goes to the Lakers?”
“I was so pissed yesterday. I had to turn my TV off. I’m not going to lie. I’m like, this is how stupid they are. Y’all got The Stanley Cup Finals and the NBA Finals and y’all are talking about a team that’s irrelevant. And I’m like, whoever’s doing that programming have got to be the stupidest, most bone-headed people in the world.”
“I’m like, if he goes, we’ll talk about it. But to just go in there and blow air for an hour and then say, ‘Oh, by the way, we got Game 1 of the Finals coming up tonight.’ I was like, ‘Who in the hell is running that programming over there? I was like, OK, there’s nothing but speculation.”
“But you got Game 1 of the Finals and you got Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, which I’m really pumped about because, you got Florida, who lost in the finals last year, and you got a whole country of people and you got those games as a network, and you spent the whole time talking about what if Danny Hurley goes to the Lakers? I’m like, what kind of idiots are running this network?”
“I said, that was crazy. Like I say, I love Danny Hurley. I love his family. I love his story. I love it because he’s a basketball purist, but I just thought it was so stupid of ESPN yesterday.”
“It’s like, wait a minute, y’all got the biggest game of the NBA season coming on tonight. And y’all spent the first hour talking about if Dan Hurley goes to the Lakers. I was like, come on man.”
Charles Barkley turned off ESPN because of their coverage pic.twitter.com/iosxFy7hCT
— OutKick (@Outkick) June 7, 2024
He expressed his frustration with ESPN’s programming choices, emphasizing that the network’s extensive coverage of Hurley was inappropriate given the significance of the Finals.
Barkley went on to criticize the network for prioritizing a speculative coaching move over the actual games. He argued that the focus on Hurley and the Lakers was irrelevant compared to the high-stakes action of the NBA Finals.
The Inside the NBA star pointed out that the continuous discussion about Hurley, who was reportedly meeting with Lakers executives Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka, detracted from the excitement of the Finals. He emphasized that such speculative news should not overshadow the actual games, especially during one of the most critical moments of the NBA season.
Barkley also acknowledged Hurley’s success as a back-to-back championship-winning coach but stressed that any potential move to the Lakers would require LeBron James‘ approval. Despite his praise for Hurley, Barkley remained firm in his belief that ESPN’s coverage was misguided, particularly during such a pivotal time in the sports calendar.
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