For a quarter of a century, Charles Barkley has entertained the world with his unfiltered takes and hilarious personality, as part of the legendary Inside the NBA panel. But this year’s All-Star Weekend put an end to that iconic era as it was the show’s last time hosting the event on TNT. Yes, as per the new media rights deal, Inside the NBA will part ways with Turner and move to ABC and ESPN, starting next season. To commemorate the moment, the NBA even hosted a heartfelt tribute for the four panellists during All-Star Sunday night. But not everything that was said to Barkley this weekend was positive, as Giannis Antetokounmpo got a bit too candid with the Hall of Famer.

Although The Greek Freak did not play in the All-Star Game because of a calf injury, he was present in the Bay Area to enjoy the festivities. And during the warmups ahead of Sunday night’s event, Giannis was caught in a mic’d up moment with Sir Charles, saying this about Victor Wembanyama, “Back in the day, you couldn’t guard him. You could not guard him.”

Sure, Barkley was arguably the greatest rebounder of his era despite his 6’6 frame, averaging 11.7 boards for his career. But the former MVP never faced a player like Wemby, who is 7’5 with the skills of a guard. Even Chuck agreed with Giannis, “I know.” However, the Bucks star took the trash talk a step further and said to the Suns legend, “So anything you say on TV, that does not matter. You never face something like this.”

Moreover, Giannis even shared the video of the conversation on his Instagram story, captioned, “Fun night for me and my boys” with a laughing emoji.

Yes, Antetokounmpo took a subtle dig at Barkley’s job as an analyst on TV. Although it was just some friendly banter, Giannis’ comments might have stung the Hall of Famer a little bit amid the major upcoming transition from TNT to ESPN. Of course, Chuckster inked a ten-year contract with TNT three years ago and will continue to be a part of Inside the NBA following next season’s network change. But why did Giannis take a dig at Barkley’s analysis?

Charles Barkley has criticized Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo before

During all his years on television, one thing was always clear – Barkley never shies away from sharing his honest opinion. That’s why fans love him. But it also means criticizing the players on occasion. And Chuck has done it to both Giannis and Wemby in the past. Last year, he said on Bill Simmons’ podcast, “Giannis has to get better as a basketball player. Just going downhill 1-on-5 isn’t going to work. It doesn’t work and he’s a terrific player and a terrific kid, but he has to get better as a basketball player. I’m not a Milwaukee guy.”

Meanwhile, he also took a shot at Wemby’s weight on Live TV, “You know what’s weird about Wemby? He’s like the only person in San Antonio who can’t gain weight… I don’t understand why this is the only skinny person in San Antonio.” Maybe, that’s why Giannis told Chuck that what he says on TV does not matter because he and Wemby are two of the most dominant players in the league regardless of the criticism. And Victor even proved it on Sunday night as he dropped 17 points in just thirteen minutes during the two All-Star games in the new format. But as Inside the NBA’s legacy lives on, Barkley will continue to give his hot takes despite The Greek Freak’s message to him. What are your thoughts?