“First of all, I want all the smoke,” said Charles Barkley during his latest rant, trashing ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins. Well, now the smoke seemed to have engulfed his house after Stephen A. Smith budged in. The interesting catch here is that all of them will be working in the same office for the next season. So, that’s a great start. After working in the broadcasting business for over two decades, Chuck does know what he is talking about, but Smith takes offense to it.

Before we get into the details, let’s see what sparked the fire. The Phoenix Suns legend didn’t hesitate before dropping a tag on Perkins. “He an idiot and a fool, he know who he is. Kendrick Perkins… The fools on the other network (ESPN), which we’re going to be working for next year,” said the 62-year-old criticizing the legacy network’s NBA coverage.

Charles Barkley seemed deeply affected by the particular phrase “Lakers saved the NBA season” that Kendrick Perkins supposedly uttered on Live TV. Moreover, he didn’t just stop at Perkins but also went on to generalize ESPN’s coverage saying, “Y’all just want to talk about the Warriors and the Lakers.” 

And this generalization didn’t sit well with Stephen A. Smith.

The veteran analyst took to his X handle, re-shared Chuck’s rant, and wrote, “Yo Chuck, stop the b.s. with the “y’all.” Attach a name to it.” Well, that sounded pretty serious. That too from a man who recently stamped his authority on the broadcasting business, signing a $100 million 5-year extension with ESPN. 

Smith further added, “I know I’ve been talking about @cavs being the No.1 threat to the @Celtics. Once you come over here, there’s gonna be some folks waiting to call YOU a fool.“

Yes, that’s true. Smith definitely makes sure that he covers almost everything in the NBA world. So, Chuck wronged him with the generalization and in turn leaves SAS to issue a friendly threat for the next season. Moreover, he also added a special message at the end. Let’s find out more about it.  

Stephen A. Smith’s heartwarming message to Charles Barkley

After having a go at Charles Barkley with his retaliation, Smith ended the post with an important message, writing, “You know I love ya, though. See y’all soon.” This wasn’t something out of the blue. Despite the media rivalry, SAS has maintained a huge respect for Chuck and the rest of the Inside guys.

Now that they are all set to work from the same building, they won’t be rivals anymore. For those who woke up after a long sleep, TNT won’t be covering the NBA from next season, as they failed to sign the media deal. I know, it’s tough. But ESPN jumped in as a savior and cracked the deal with TNT to air Inside Guys through their network. Lovely, right?

Ever wondered how the equation between the rivals would have changed since the new deal? Looks like it’s a smooth one from A. Smith’s perspective. Featuring in CNBC’s recent interview, he said, “All personal friends of mine… They know I’ll be there. And if those guys on Inside the NBA want me in any capacity, I’m happy to join them. Whether it’s five times, 10 times, 20 times or zero. I’m going to root for them.” 

However, Chuck doesn’t seem to reciprocate the same amount of love. How will it end up? Let us know in the comments below.