Ball Around

Charles Barkley Gets Blunt About JJ Redick's Future With Lakers

Jeremy Hanna

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley talks on set before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; NBA TV analyst Charles Barkley talks on set before game three of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

About two weeks ago, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick addressed the NBA's declining television ratings, mainly saying that the media doesn't celebrate the game today, instead opting to criticize how things have changed.

“I don’t think we, and by we, I was part of it, we as the sort of national partners have done a good job of storytelling, of celebrating the game,” Redick said, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “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.”

“This game should be celebrated,” Redick continued. “The league is more talented and skilled than it was 18 years ago when I was drafted. That’s a fact. There are more players that are excellent. There are more teams that are excellent."

"We don’t have anybody that’s willing to step up to the fact that this is an awesome game and we should talk about it and celebrate it in a positive way. That doesn’t mean we don’t critique it. We should critique it, but we should celebrate it."

While there is good intent behind the statement, some NBA analysts have taken the comments personally, including Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley, who took an opportunity to retaliate at the Lakers head coach.

“He said something about, ‘We’re the reasons people ain’t watching this crappy product we got,'" Barkle said, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic. "I said, ‘Us?’ Like we out there jacking up a hundred 3s a night.”

“JJ, you come for the king you better not miss, because I can get you, brother. Remember, I got your Lakers’ games. You can’t hide them 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. But you came out there thinking you were gonna change things with that same ugly girl you went on a date with."

“The Lakers stink. He came in there thinking, ‘I can make this thing work.’ Hell you can. Put some makeup on that pig. … The Lakers stink, man. C’mon, man.”

Now, Redick has responded to Barkley's response, and it seems that he couldn't care less what the NBA legend thinks.

“I read a random text from somebody after the game,” Redick said. “I went to look at my phone and it says something about Charles Barkley. And I’m like, ‘Huh?’"

"I didn’t make it all the way through the clip, I gotta be honest with you. My resting heart rate is probably 64. I watched the clip, it was 64. Literally don’t care. I have other thoughts, but don’t care.”

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Jeremy Hanna
JEREMY HANNA

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