The In-Season Tournament has given us a lot of incredible early-season hoops, but it inadvertently gave the fans one of the funniest media crossovers, as ESPN and TNT talents have merged for the semi-final games.
Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith have shared some really fun moments on air throughout the night, including the time when Barkley threatened to beat Smith up if he yelled on air.
“Lemme tell you something Stephen A, if you come over here with all that loud ass talking today. Hey, this ain’t First Take, this gon’ be the first ass whooping you take if you come over here with that loud ass tone.”
Charles Barkley to Stephen A. Smith:
“If you come over here with all that loud ass talking. This ain’t First Take. This gone be the first ass whooping you take.”
😂😂😂
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 7, 2023
The reaction that drew from the panel and the fans tells the entire story. Barkley is one of the most entertaining people in all of television, something that can also be said about Stephen A. With the pair on the same show? That has created some magical TV moments, showing everyone that a joint broadcast may be something that’ll draw a lot of interest in the future.
Charles Barkley Made The Most Of The ESPN Crossover
Barkley had so many moments of absolute hilarity on-air while riffing with ESPN talent. This included him poking fun at the Golden State Warriors while talking to former Warriors’ GM and now ESPN analyst Bob Myers.
Charles Barkley: “I wanna give you credit for jumping off the Titanic before it sunk.”
Bob Myers: “I have friends over there.”
Chuck Barkley: “Yeah, you’re gonna see them soon.”
Charles Barkley: "I wanna give you credit for jumping off the titanic before it sunk."
Bob Myers: "I have friends over there."
Chuck Barkley: "Yeah, you're gonna see them soon."
😂😂😂
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 8, 2023
Chuck maintained his usual banter with the likes of Ernie Johnson as well, but with the ESPN talent on the show with him, he felt the need to comment about the difference between Barkley having Ernie as a co-host and Stephen A. having the likes of Molly Querin and Mallika Andrews.
Stephen A. Smith: “Chuck’s over there interrupting Ernie.”
Ernie Johnson: “Stephen A., welcome to my world.”
Charles Barkley: “You get Molly and Malika and we have to look at Ernie’s ugly head.”
Stephen A. and Charles Barkley going at it is hilarious stuff!
SAS: "Chuck's over there interrupting Ernie"
EJ: "Stephen A., welcome to my world."
Chuck: "You get Molly and Malika and we have to look at Ernie's ugly head."
ESPN Inside the NBA crossover pic.twitter.com/1oGwH9oazm
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 7, 2023
He even went out of his way to challenge Lakers guard Austin Reaves to a golf match in the summer of 2024.
“Austin Reaves, I want all the smoke. I’ll come to Oklahoma, I’ll come anywhere, I’ll come to LA but it’s too crowded in LA. I wanna come to Oklahoma this summer, I want to play you, you’re a scratch golfer. Give me four and four, and it’s over.”
Charles Barkley challenges Austin Reaves to a golf match next summer in Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/e1i28DlBtu
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 8, 2023
This was an amazing night for the broadcast, which will probably give us even better moments after the Lakers and Pelicans matchup is over. The Lakers have a 30-point lead in the third quarter, so it’ll be interesting to see how they remark on LeBron James‘ incredible night and the Lakers possibly winning the In-Season Tournament.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
