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Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley Went Head-to-Head on ESPN-TNT Crossover Broadcast, and Fans Loved It

The two networks are teaming up for the NBA in-season tournament semifinals and finals.

Madison Williams

Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley Went Head-to-Head on ESPN-TNT Crossover Broadcast, and Fans Loved It
Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley Went Head-to-Head on ESPN-TNT Crossover Broadcast, and Fans Loved It /

ESPN and TNT teamed up for the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament on Thursday, and the bold personalities on both networks took over the broadcast early on.

TNT’s Charles Barkley specifically called out ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith while the two networks were on separate stages in Las Vegas. Barkley’s rant, seemingly yelled in a joking manner, caused the audience to cheer and laugh at the two analysts.

“If you come over here with all that loud a-- talking,” Barkley yelled in the microphone. “Hey, this ain’t First Take, this is gonna be the first a-- whooping you take.”

Smith bursted into laughter hearing the NBA legend call him out.

NBA fans absolutely loved the crossover between ESPN and TNT. Many fans wondered why it took so long to see a mix of these personalities on the national stage. Some even called for the crossover to occur again for the NBA Finals in June.

Take a look at some of the social media reactions to this on-stage interaction.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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