“Charles [Barkley] will somehow… inspire some other nut to end my life.” This concern is not from just Skip Bayless but his wife, Ernestine Sclafani, as well. If anything, it just shows how intense the feud between the two has been. One of the most recent instances of Barkley lashing out at Bayless came during Chuck’s interview. He was asked by one commentator who indulges in controversies more than he needs to.

Those who have followed the fuss between the two stars could have predicted another harsh take coming against the 73-year-old commentator when Chuck faced the question. “No, no, no. Just get him in here. Only when I know I’mma going to die… Because I just want to get Skip Bayless in a room one time and beat him like a dog,” the former Philadelphia 76ers star said. While it’s clear that the two stars cannot stand each other, it’s not known where exactly this feud started.

Figuring out the origins of the feud between Charles Barkley and Skip Bayless

While there is no official timeline to the start of the controversy between the two stars, a six-year-old Reddit thread (… origin story of why Charles Barkley hates Skip Bayless…) had one user dating it back to around 2004. He claimed that it all started from the very episode when Barkley, appearing on Inside the NBA, claimed he hates the guys who act like they know everything about sports.

While he all can guess he was referring to Bayless, Chuck made it loud and clear in 2016. “I hate when guys act like they know everything about sports,” Barkley said, appearing on Inside the NBA. He further emphasized that his hatred is not just against Bayless but all such commentators who term an athlete as “[he is] not a good baseball player, not a good football player, not a good basketball player.”

Now, apart from the aforementioned user dating the controversy to possibly have begun around 2004, Skip Bayless himself recently tried tracing back the origins of Barkley’s hatred against him.

Bayless revealed their first-ever interaction was during an All-Star game organized by Spud Webb where he served as the celebrity coach for Barkley’s team. “I tried to introduce myself to Charles before the game and he was uninterested in whoever the hell I was. And yet I did have to take him in and out of the game…” Skip said. He further revealed there came a moment when he asked Chuck if he’d go back in since Bayless wanted to win the game.

“And he said, ‘Brother, I want to win the game too, but my sh*t hurts… And I’m like, okay, fine… So I put Rex Chapman in. In place of Charles, Rex Chapman hit the game-winner,” Skip added, mentioning this was pretty much the closest interaction he ever had with the 11x All-Star.

The 73-year-old commentator further mentioned that it was after this incident that Charles Barkley started his tirades against him. Now, there is no way of determining if this was the point from where the Barkley-Bayless feud started. But Skip claims things got so out of hand after this that his wife and her late mother became concerned that someday a random psychopath who could be idolizing Chuck could get influenced by his hatred against Skip and take a drastic step.

Bayless mentioned that his wife and wife’s late mother urged him to figure out a way to get Chuck to stop using the ‘K’ (kill) word.

What exactly did Barkley say against Bayless that made him and his family concerned?

Ever heard a joke that made you chuckle but also made you wonder if it went a little too far? That’s exactly what happened when Charles Barkley, known for his bold personality and sharp humor, made a startling remark about Skip back in 2017. It came during his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. The Chuckster joked that if he ever faced a terminal illness, he’d want to harm Bayless on live television. It was Barkley being Barkley. Unfiltered and over the top. But this time, his words left many, including Bayless’ family, uneasy.

Chuck’s scenario? He imagined being on death’s doorstep himself, with no fear of consequences. And thus using that moment to settle his long-standing grievances with the 73-year-old. Barkley didn’t hold back in describing how he would attack Bayless. While host Dan Patrick played along, some viewers felt the comment crossed a line.

Fast forward to 2022, and Skip Bayless finally addressed the long-standing digs from the former 76ers star. He admitted he didn’t understand why Barkley seemed to dislike him so much, especially since the two had barely ever spoken. For Bayless, the ongoing comments were both puzzling and concerning. Still, he insisted that, despite the remarks, he remained a fan of Barkley’s TV presence and larger-than-life personality.

While Charles Barkley has already been clear about the reason for his hatred against Bayless, it’s only up to him to also reveal from where it all started. Drop your views in the comment box with your predictions about the genesis of this entire saga.