Charles Barkley is one of the game’s most interesting characters. His humor and honesty make him one of the best commentators the NBA has to offer and his career as a premier power forward makes him an ALl-time great basketball player.
But, perhaps, one of the most interesting Barkley stories around is the time Kobe Bryant gave him a piece of his mind — for three straight hours. He recently shared the story with Evan Daniels of 274Sports:
“The great Kobe Bryant one night, I remember the game he wouldn’t shoot in the second half,” Barkley recalled. “I called him out after that. He shot one time in the second half. He was trying to prove a point that he didn’t have any help. And I was livid with what he tried to do. And I called him out.”
Needless to say, Kobe was pissed. He proceeded to text Barkley obscenities for hours via text message.
“Kobe started texting me for the next three hours,” Barkley added. “And we’re going back and forth and he’s calling me every MF, every SOB in the world. And I’m laughing as I get these. I’m like, ‘Yo man, pick up the phone and call me’… It was awesome and we laughed about it, you know, later when we saw each other. But it was hilarious that he would not pick up the phone and he sends me at least 20 to 25 texts. It was awesome.”
Kobe and Chuck were obviously buds and, fortunately, they were able to laugh off the whole ordeal. But Kobe was definitely mad, especially after Barkley called him out on his antics.
I guess he learned the hard way that it’s not a good idea to piss off the Mamba.
