Charles Barkley Mercilessly Trashed The Lakers...And Austin Reaves Heard Him

If Charles Barkley had a middle name, it would be “fearless.” In his illustrious career on television, Barkley has given his brutally honest opinions on players, teams, and the NBA itself without batting an eyelid.

Last week, the Chuckster doled out some harsh criticism for one particular Western Conference team. Funnily enough, a player for that team was wearing a headset and hearing Barkley’s criticism in real time.

Appearing on Friday’s “Inside the NBA” after the LA Lakers won 125-122 over the LA Clippers, Barkley commented that the Lakers might not make it far into the playoffs if they land as the sixth, seventh, or eighth seed in the West. This prompted Kenny Smith, a perpetual instigator, to run down a list of teams that could knock off the Lakers in the first round. 

“You think they can beat the Rockets?” Smith asked. “I do not think they can beat the Rockets.” Denver? “I do not.” Minnesota? “I do not.”

With Barkley having made his point, “Inside” anchor Ernie Johnson dropped the reveal: Lakers guard Austin Reaves had been waiting to be interviewed for the past few minutes. Did he hear what Barkley had to say, and what did he think of it? “Heard a little bit. Eh, everybody’s entitled to their own opinion.”

Reaves probably didn’t expect to get into another heated environment after the battle of Los Angeles, but his performance that night made him bulletproof for the moment. Reaves finished with 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field, second only to Luka Doncic’s 38-point masterclass.

Doing some instigating of their own, the “Inside” producers had Barkley ask Reaves a question. “I’ve noticed some of your game over the past year from a confidence standpoint. You feel like you can score on anybody. When did that kick in? In the last couple of years, in the beginning…”

The Chuckster was getting more long-winded than usual, and Reaves (to his credit) offered a solid response at the end of the long “question.” Was Barkley, ever the audacious analyst, feeling just a wee bit of awkwardness as a recipient of his criticism stared right at him through a TV monitor?

It may have been awkward then, but Barkley won’t ever pump the brakes on his unfiltered opinions. In his own words, that’s a gua-ran-tee.