Charles Barkley’s words hold significant value in the sports media world, but he just had a moment of embarrassment because of one. Yep, Inside the NBA is back and so is the banter. And it seems he had one of those moments where he used a made-up word during one of the episodes. The ATLANTIC writer Jemele Hill was quick enough to point it out on a humorous note.

“Who’s gonna tell Chuck that “slighter” isn’t a word. That Auburn education strikes again 😂😂😂,” she wrote on X. But now the question arises if it’s really a made-up word? Well, not according to some of the online dictionaries. Wiktionary defines the word as “comparative form of slight”. 

Meanwhile, Cambridge Dictionary and Thesaurus have mentioned the word as an adjective. However, this does not necessarily prove the grammatical authenticity of the word. Because a lot of made-up words have now also been included in online dictionaries to provide an understanding of their usage.

Moreover, it’s not as if Charles Barkley has never messed up while speaking English. In fact, as per an X user on Hill’s post, “Chuck’s pedestrian grasp of the English language is what makes him folksy.” You can easily find a compilation of one on YouTube.

“It’s very simple. The agony of win, the great thing of winning or the agony of defeat. And it losing just sucks. But winning is the greatest thing. You talk to any great player or any coach. The winning you fear losing” — just another instance of make what you can make of Charles Barkley’s English. This, however, in no way means the former Philadelphia 76ers star is not efficient in his words. When he speaks, the sports community listens.

Charles Barkley’s Blunt Golden State Warriors Statement

Chuck didn’t hold back his thoughts on the Golden State Warriors’ future this season. And if you’re a Warriors fan, brace yourself—his opinion isn’t exactly optimistic. Despite the Warriors’ promising 3-1 start to the 2024-25 season, Barkley took to NBA on TNT to make his stance clear.

“They’re a play-in team at best. The window is shut… They had a great run. It’s over, and they had a great run… This window is shut closed,” he said. It’s easy to see where Barkley’s doubt is coming from. Warriors have won 4 NBA Championships since 2015, but they’ve also missed the playoffs in three of the past five years.

Last season, they scraped into the tenth seed with a 46-36 record but couldn’t overcome the Sacramento Kings in the play-in. It’s been a turbulent road, to say the least. Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, however, showed a glimmer of their old spark. Even without their 2x MVP, Stephen Curry, the team clinched a 124-106 win. But for now, Charles Barkley has given his verdict–in the words he deems to be the best.