Ever since he retired from the NBA, Charles Barkley has found success as a studio analyst for TNT. The Philadelphia 76ers legend’s off-hand but honest remarks during Inside the NBA have been its highlight for many years. One of those remarks resurfaced in light of the controversial layoffs by ESPN, which led another former NBA star to show his support to Barkley. This is not something new from ESPN as they contentiously fired a Boston Celtics legend a couple of years ago as well.

Barkley’s camaraderie with co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson is one of the major reasons for the success of the TNT show. That was evident in the resurfaced clip, as none of them could control their laughter following the Chuckster’s comments.

Charles Barkley had some harsh comments about ESPN

On Friday, ESPN fired 20 leading personalities from its network. This was done as part of an initiative to meet fiscal goals for the current and upcoming year. Amongst the people who were laid off were former Indiana Pacers player Jalen Rose and former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy.

In light of this decision, a clip resurfaced on Instagram showing Barkley engaged in a conversation alongside the rest of his Inside the NBA crew about ESPN back in 2016. The TNT analyst took the opportunity to criticize Stephen A. Smith?s employer for their long hours and low pay. The remarks were met with laughter and amusement from his co-anchors.

Barkley said, “Not gonna work me like a dog and not pay me. They’ll have me on ESPN One, Two, Three, ESPN News, ESPNU, ESPN Radio! They’re gonna have me on ESPN Deportes, saying muy bien, gracias!”

Safe to say, Barkley won’t be working with ESPN anytime soon. It seems he is not the only one who isn’t the biggest fan of ESPN, though. Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett liked the video so much that he decided to share it with the rest of the world. Garnett took to Instagram to share Barkley’s remarks with his 1 million followers.

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He put the reel on his Instagram story and captioned it, “Chuck SAY IT LOUDER…..Shots fired,” accompanied by various emojis. Garnett’s reaction to Barkley’s remarks comes 2 years after one of his closest friends was also bid adieu by ESPN.

ESPN’s controversial firing of a Celtics legend

Paul Pierce, a Hall of Famer, joined ESPN as a studio analyst in 2017. He made the decision shortly after his 19-year career in the NBA came to an end. His role was reduced two years later due to his insufficient preparation for segments. Then in 2021, Pierce was fired by ESPN after an Instagram Live Video went viral.

It showed the former player consuming alcohol, marijuana and partying alongside friends and women dressed in bikinis. The current firings must have reminded Garnett of this incident.

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Pierce and Garnett first met each other during their final year of high school, when both players were playing on the same AAU team. They spent 7 years together as teammates, as part of their combined time with the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. The duo continued to stay in touch even after retirement and share a close bond.

In the dynamic world of sports, even newscasters and analysts are not safe. While Charles Barkley does not seem to be going anywhere, anytime soon, things may or may not change for Stephen A. Smith and other ESPN personalities who have managed to retain their position.