Getting inside scoops from Inside the NBA is a staple interest of the fans. It is such not only for their entertaining and unscripted opinions of the veterans but also for the friendship among the cast we see. Such has been the bond between the crew and the late Greg Gumbel. After a long battle with cancer, the sportscaster passed away and left a void. It was a big shock for Charles Barkley as well as the TNT crew who worked with him for nearly 12 years during March Madness.

Paying tribute to the legend, Barkley reflected on the time he spent working alongside Gumbel. Here are the four hilarious as well as memorable moments of the two.

Charles Barkley used to wash his own jersey

One can always find some of the oddest stories from the Philadelphia 76ers legend. Not so surprisingly, these stories are so bizarre that Kenny “The Jet” Smith and the rest of the cast covering CBS/Turner’s NCAA Tournament had a hard time believing them. Barkley claimed that he used to wash his own jerseys during games, and that too by wearing them under the shower. 

When Smith protested, Barkley argued that they flew commercial and, hence, had no time and had to wash their own NBA jerseys. “When I first got to the NBA, we flew commercial. So when you played the night before, and flew the next morning, when was you exactly going to get your uniform clean? You had to wash your uniform yourself,” Barkley said. 

When Clark Kellogg asked about the odd technique, he simply replied that it was easier that way. Gumbel can be seen quietly laughing at Barkley’s antics. Well, since they are colleagues, it’s absolutely tough to avoid the weird moments as well. 

Greg Gumbel sparked chatter for interrupting Jim Larrañaga and Charles Barkley’s conversation

One was seen when the late legend was forced to interrupt his colleague’s conversation with former coach Jim Larrañaga. Larrañaga had been engrossed in sharing an interesting story with Barkley. That’s when Gumbel must have gotten a producer buzz in his ear to interrupt the conversation. Many took a shot at how Gumbel could have done it in a smoother way to make it less awkward.

Others felt that the lack of chemistry between the host and Barkley, who work together only during March Madness, was the issue. However, that didn’t seem to be the case when Gumbel had Barkley and the rest play a pie game.

Charles Barkley who once turned into a muppet hates the pie game!

In an old clip, Gumbel and the rest are seen engaging in a pie game to represent the NCAA basketball tournament, especially the Sweet 16 stage. Gumbel explains how each team is represented by a pie, and the rest must choose the pie to show which team will advance. When Gumbel asked Barkley to do the same, he called out how he hates the game.

For him, he might hate a team but like the pie, which made it complicated for him.  “So first of all I hate this game. Some certain pies I like the team might not be any good but I want the pie,” Barkley argued as Gumbel swifty handled the situation. 

For a halftime show, we once saw muppets of the entire cast including Barkley, Smith, Kellogg, Gumbel begin the show before the real life stars showed up. This chaotic, as well as playful, moment showed why the TNT crew is always in sync, even when there’s a mishmash. The bond between the members had only strengthened over the time.

This is why the passing of Gumbel was tough on the members. “He (Gumbel) was just a kind, honorable man I’ve known his brother Brian a long time but getting to know him just because of man when I got that text last week man, it just kind of ruined my new year going into the new year man and just rest in peace Greg and thank you for being the consummate pro and gentleman,” Barkley said during the recent segment of Inside the NBA. Gumbel was a truly legend and the bond he shared with the TNT members was iconic.