Charles Barkley is known for being a person who calls it as he sees it, and that’s especially the case when it comes to his commentary on the NBA. The former player and veteran sportscaster recently went on a major tirade while discussing the Los Angeles Lakers. At the time, Barkley was responding to comments made by the team’s coach, JJ Redick, and he proceeded to question the man’s job security and more. Reddick has since weighed in on Barkley’s latest sentiments and was fairly direct upon doing so.
During a recent interview, JJ Redick discussed the somewhat shaky status of professional basketball, opining that negative takes from media pundits are harmful to fan perception. Sir Charles didn’t take too kindly to those thoughts and, during an episode of Inside the NBA, he called out Redick for arguing that he and his colleagues were one reason why fans aren’t tuning in for games as often. The pundit also declared Redick to be a “dead man walking” job-wise and said that the Lakers “stink.”
The California-based basketball organization hosted the Atlanta Hawks this past Friday night and ultimately clinched a 119-102 victory that brought their record to 20-14. Before the game, their aforementioned coach spoke to the press, during which Charles Barkley’s comments came up. According to ESPN, the former Orlando Magic player admitted to not being all that fazed by the comments Barkley made:
I didn't make it all the way through the clip, I got to be honest with you. My resting heart rate is probably 64 [beats per minute]. I watched the clip, it was 64. Literally don't care. I have other thoughts, but don't care.
JJ Redick’s response seems to indicate that he’s not interested in engaging in a back-and-forth with the hall of famer. As of right now, he’s currently still contending with his first year as an NBA head coach. Redick was hired by the team in June 2024 shortly after the dismissal of his successor, Darvin Ham, after two seasons. What’s been noted by various pundits since Redick’s hiring is the fact that he has no prior experience as a coach. Nevertheless, with their record, the squad now sits in fourth place in the Western Conference, as of this writing.
During his broadcasting career, Charles Barkley has certainly engaged in wars of words with some notable names in the league. Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green had issues with Barkley and addressed them while reacting to the pundit’s retirement comments in 2024. Barkley’s thoughts can certainly generate mixed feelings from players, coaches and fans alike. However, one could also argue that it’s the former league MVP’s tendency not to mince words that’s made him such a popular figure in the TV industry.
It’s interesting that job security would come up most recently, given that the Round Mound of Rebound himself was facing an uncertain professional future last year. For a while, it seemed that Inside the NBA would be canceled but, even amid that, the ex-Houston Rocket announced his plans to retire from broadcasting at the end of the 2024-2025 TV season. Months later, though, he walked back his retirement declaration, and it was confirmed months later that Inside would remain on the air due to a deal struck between TNT and ESPN.
Apparently, Charles Barkley is still weighing job options, but it seems likely that he’ll remain on air in some capacity and continue to voice his opinions for the foreseeable future. With that, it’s very possible that this won’t be the final time this year or during a future season that he calls out the Lakers or another team. In the meantime, we’ll have to wait and see if Barkley responds to JJ Redick’s latest comments.
