The rivalry between Charles Barkley and JJ Redick seems to be escalating after Chuck said JJ is ‘A dead man walking’
Charles Barkley didn’t hold back after Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick recently criticized league broadcasters. The debate arose following a sharp decline in the NBA’s television ratings, which have been under scrutiny early in the season.
In the months leading up to Christmas, the NBA faced an 18% dip in Nielsen ratings. However, the holiday brought a glimmer of hope, with the five-game Christmas Day lineup averaging 5.34 million viewers. This marked a significant 87% increase for ESPN compared to the same time last year.
What did JJ Redick say?
Redick, however, dismissed these claims during a press conference on December 19, ahead of the Lakers’ matchup against the Sacramento Kings.
“I don’t think we’ve done a good enough job of storytelling or celebrating the game,” Redick stated, pointing a finger at how the NBA is being presented to fans.
“If I’m a casual fan and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I’m not going to watch the product. And that’s really what has happened over the last 10 to 15 years. I don’t know why. It’s not funny to me.”
While Redick didn’t name anyone specifically, many interpreted his comments as a subtle reference to the ‘Inside the NBA’ crew, which includes Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson.
Charles Barkley hits back
Charles Barkley didn’t need to hear his name explicitly mentioned to respond to JJ Redick during Thursday night’s show.
“He said something about, ‘What’re the reasons people ain’t watching this crappy product we got,’ like we out there jacking up a hundred threes a night,” Barkley said.
Barkley didn’t stop there, shifting his focus to Redick’s position as the first-year coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, who currently hold a 19-14 record.
“JJ, you come for the king, you better not miss, because I can get you, brother,” Barkley fired back. “Remember, I got your Lakers’ games. You can’t hide the flaws they got. You just a dead man walking.
“They got rid of Frank Vogel, who did a good job. They got rid of Darvin Ham, who did a good job. You came out there thinking you were gonna change things with that same ugly girl you went on a date with.
“He came in there thinking, ‘I can make this thing work.’ Hell, you can’t! Put some makeup on that pig! The Lakers stink, man.”
The fans weight in
While some fans praised Barkley for his unfiltered remarks, others felt he might have been reinforcing Redick’s earlier criticism. One user on X commented,
“Chuck is just proving JJ’s point. He was going off during highlights of the game they were supposed to be covering, but he was too concerned with s***ting on Redick and the Lakers.
“That’s all they do. They provide zero analysis or insight into the game. They barely even watch hoop.”
