Charles Barkley has never been one to tiptoe around nonsense, and this time, his target was clear. The Hall of Famer unloaded on Colin Cowherd after Cowherd floated a theory suggesting that Inside the NBA was quietly ‘shelved’ by ESPN at the behest of commissioner Adam Silver because the show is too critical of the league.
Barkley’s response came during Saturday night’s broadcast, and it was vintage Chuck.
“Let me just say this. We hate when people take things out of context. All I said was, we’re working three days this week, which is fine. I just wish they would break it up more. We’ve been off for two months. There was no reason for us to be off for two months.”
“There are some fools at home or on the internet saying that we were talking bad about the players, so they made us work less. Shut the hell up. Shut the hell up. This was already scheduled.”
“These guys are like, ‘Well, you know, they’re going to put them on the shelf because they don’t want them on TV.’ Man, y’all need to shut the hell up. This was already planned months and months ago. All I said was I would like to work more.”
“It just bothers me that people out here are talking about us getting put on the shelf. Like, man, shut the hell up. Stay on the internet where you’re unimportant.”
The frustration wasn’t just about Cowherd’s comments. Barkley had already been open about his disappointment with how infrequently the show aired during the first few months of the season. ‘Inside the NBA’ appeared only a handful of times across a long stretch, something Barkley felt made little sense given how meaningful early-season games have become. That criticism, however, was about programming decisions, not censorship. Cowherd’s suggestion that ESPN buried the show to keep the NBA happy crossed a line.
On his radio show, Cowherd implied there may have been an unspoken understanding between ESPN and the league, arguing that the NBA is sensitive to criticism and might prefer Barkley and company to be less visible.
“He’s not getting on the air anymore. ESPN buried that show.”
“He wishes he worked more. And my feeling is this is just conjecture is that ESPN has a great relationship with the NBA, and they said, yeah, we’ll bring that show over. You won’t see it as much. Put it on the shelf a little bit.”
“I’m just saying conjecture, but I know there were people upstairs in the NBA office that didn’t like how they lampooned the league.”
Barkley flatly rejected that idea. From his perspective, it would be absurd for the league to suppress one of its most popular studio shows, especially one that consistently drives conversation, attention, and interest around the sport.
What made Barkley particularly annoyed was the idea that honesty somehow makes ‘Inside the NBA’ a liability. Barkley has built his post-playing career on blunt analysis, humor, and calling things as he sees them. That authenticity is exactly why the show works. Suggesting the NBA or ESPN would want less of that runs counter to everything the program represents.
There is also a simple logistical explanation. The show was always scheduled to ramp up later in the season, with a heavy presence during the playoff push and the postseason itself. ‘Inside the NBA’ is set to be ESPN and ABC’s primary studio show during the playoffs, including the NBA Finals. Far from being buried, it is positioned to be front and center when the stakes are highest.
Barkley’s outburst wasn’t just a rant. It was a line in the sand. He made it clear that he will not let others rewrite the narrative around his show or question its standing in the league. Love him or hate him, Barkley remains one of the NBA’s most influential voices, and moments like this are exactly why.
