Charles Barkley Unplugged: His TV Future, His Legacy, LeBron, Jordan, Gambling, More

Also in Traina Thoughts: Jerry Jones drops one hell of a quote; Ryan Clark vs. Tua Tagovailoa; awesome soccer call; and more.

1. For five years, I have tried to book Charles Barkley on SI Media With Jimmy Traina. The pursuit finally ended this week, and on Wednesday the iconic NBA talking head gave me 90 minutes of his time for a conversation that covered A LOT of ground. Among the topics we covered: 

• The Rock

• His future on television

• Would he work for another network if Turner loses NBA

• New NBA TV deals

• A rule that would prevent NBA owners from raising ticket prices

• Sports needs to penalize teams that suck

• Betting Saturday's Notre Dame–Navy game

• How serious was he about going to LIV

• Turning down an offer to call Monday Night Football

• Would he call an NFL game today

• Wanting to call a game with Dick Vitale

• His opinion on ESPN firing Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson

• Wanting Jeff Van Gundy to join Turner

• Hating sports media people who make things personal

• Is he sick of talking about his fallout with Michael Jordan

• How many times has he been in same room with Michael Jordan in the past 25 years

• Turner putting an end to his “Big San Antonio Women” bit

• Is he cancel-proof?

• His love of College GameDay

• Issues when Shaq first joined Inside the NBA

• How he preps for the NCAA tournament

• Losing 70 pounds

•  His all-time worst gambling loss

• His love of Scott Van Pelt’s “Bad Beats”

• NFL Future bets he likes

• Why he’s rooting for the Lions this season

• Going to Vegas with friends every two to three weeks during the NBA season

• Why he thinks sports gambling has gotten out of hand

• College football is ruined

• Funniest people in sports media

• Will he be remembered more for his playing career or broadcasting?

• Why nurses are the best

• Why LeBron’s story is the greatest story in sports history

It took us to the end of the podcast to get to LeBron, but Barkley offered a powerful message about the Lakers star, calling LeBron's story the greatest in sports history.

“I don’t get caught up in the silliness of who’s greater, LeBron or Michael or blah, blah, blah. I just think that that’s just easy pickins for guys," Barkley said on SI Media With Jimmy Traina.

“First of all, I think LeBron is a really nice man. I think he’s a really nice man and he’s a really good dude, but I’ll say this: I think his story, it’s the greatest story in sports history. People forget, Kobe Bryant wasn’t very good coming into the NBA. People forget that. And he’s one of the greatest ever, you know. Kevin Garnett struggled. 

“The only guy I've ever seen come right out of high school who lived up was LeBron. And for him to come in at 18 and be as good as he was as a player, and obviously he’s come in and he’s one of the greatest ever, depending on what generation you’re from, and to never have gotten in trouble, especially in today’s society where everybody’s got a cellphone and everybody’s out to get you, I think his story is the greatest story in sports.

“To be that good. Number one, to live up to the hype, but also grow into the conversation of the GOAT and never even came close to getting in trouble. I think his story is the greatest story in sports history, and I’ll always admire him.”

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

2. I get that you're not supposed to find this funny, but I always try to be honest with you guys, so I’m not gonna lie. This made me laugh. After Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams was arrested for speeding, for a second time, owner Jerry Jones tried to find a silver lining.

“This sounds a little hollow, but he is maturing,” said Jones. “What was he going, 66 mph? ... That’s 32 mph less this year. 98 last year to 66, so that’s improvement.”

3. ESPN’s Ryan Clark and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a little spat that ended with Clark issuing an apology Thursday.

It started with Clark mocking Tua for being out of shape and comparing him to an Atlanta stripper on NFL Live. 

“I’ll tell you what he wasn’t doing," Clark said about Tagovailoa. “He wasn’t in the gym. I bet you that. He might have spent a lot of time at the tattoo parlor. He was not at the dinner table eating what the nutritionist had advised. He looks happy. He is thick. He’s built like a girl working at Onyx in Atlanta right now on the bottom.”

Tagovailoa got wind of the comments and told Clark to leave his name out of his mouth.

After feeling the heat from Dolphins fans on Twitter, Clark doubled down.

This made zero sense because Clark said he meant it, but it was a joke. So which was it, exactly? Maybe his nonsensical reply made him realize that he might be best off apologizing to Tua, because that’s what Clark ended up doing.

4. The NFL is embracing the theory that spread last season that the games are fixed in this well-done promo for the upcoming season.

Join us for the table read of the 104th season of the NFL. #YouCantMakeThisStuffUp pic.twitter.com/XT4HTsOGnq

— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2023

5. “He’ll drop a pint of beer into a shot glass at the other end of the bar in a different village.” Soccer broadcaster Ray Hudson completely lost it when Lionel Messi assisted on a game-tying goal Wednesday night, and it was wonderful.

6. This is an excellent question via the Giants’ social media department.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 78th birthday to the one and only Vince McMahon.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.