Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith are known for their banter while on the air with “Inside the NBA”. In a recent episode, as the panel was discussing collegiate careers, Barkley took a hilarious dig at Smith’s NCAA career with the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Smith kicked things off by taking a shot at Barkley by calling out his poor record in the NCAA tournament by saying, “Did you ever win a game in the NCAA?”
Barkley was quick to respond with, “Did you ever make it to the Final Four? You’re like the only North Carolina guy that never got to the Final Four.”
Smith kept trying to reiterate his point, but Barkley fired back with, “Let me ask you a question. Did you play with Michael Jordan?”
At this point, Smith leaned back into his chair and retreated from the argument by saying, “Yeah, I was college player of the year. Were you the college player of the year?”
"Let me ask you a question: did you play with Michael Jordan?" 🤣
Kenny & Chuck were going at it 😆 pic.twitter.com/IIyxnh9xSJ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 5, 2025
Kenny Smith played for UNC from 1983 to 1987. During his freshman season with the team, Smith was teammates with the Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
As a member of one of the most decorated collegiate programs, Smith played in the NCAA tournament every year of his collegiate career. He also had an impressive 115-22 record over four seasons.
Smith and the Tar Heels did make it to the Elite Eight twice in his career. In his senior year, the guard was named to the All-ACC First Team and even received All-American honors that season.
During the 1983-84 season when Smith was teammates with Jordan, UNC were one of the best teams in the country. With a 21-0 start to the season, they were widely regarded as the favorites to win it all. Unfortunately, they lost to Indiana in the Sweet 16.
Smith averaged 9.1 points and 5.0 assists per game that season. Meanwhile, Jordan, a junior at the time, averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Showing signs of greatness early on, he was also named the Naismith College Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Barkley was a bit of a legend at Auburn University. In 1984, he led the university to its first NCAA tournament appearance and was named the SEC Player of the Year in the same season.
From 1981-1984, Barkley was a force of nature for the Tigers. He recorded an average of 14.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game during his time at Auburn. Unfortunately, his first and only appearance at the NCAA tournament saw him and his team eliminated in the first round.
Both Smith and Barkley went on to have rather fruitful NBA careers. Unfortunately, neither came close to having the same level of success as Michael Jordan.
