On December 31, 2008, former NBA star Charles Barkley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).

Barkley was pulled over after he ran a stop sign. When the officer approached the vehicle, they smelled alcohol and conducted a series of field sobriety tests, which Barkley failed.

>SLIDESHOW: MOST INFAMOUS SPORTS MUGSHOTS & THE STORIES BEHIND THEM!

He was arrested shortly after he failed the sobriety tests. At the scene, Barkley refused to take a breathalyzer test, but a blood test later revealed that his blood alcohol content was .149, which is almost twice the legal limit in Arizona.

Barkley faced three charges: two DUI misdemeanors and one count of running a red light. He pleaded guilty to all three charges.

He was sentenced to five days in jail, which was later reduced to three days, over $2,000 in fines, and he was required to attend an alcohol-awareness program. Barkley was also required to have an ignition-interlock device installed in his vehicles.

Barkley is widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players never to have won a championship ring. He played college basketball at Auburn University, where in his junior season, he won the SEC Player of the Year Award.

Barkley entered the 1984 NBA Draft, where he was selected No. 5 by the Philadelphia 76ers.

During his 16-year NBA career, Barkley was an 11-time All-Star and an 11-time All-NBA selection. During the 1992-93 season, Barkley took home the NBA MVP award.

Barkley retired in 2000, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Barkley is currently an analyst for Inside the NBA, alongside Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.

NBA icon Charles Barkley made his thoughts on transgender women athletes clear.

“Men should not play sports against women, Barkley said on Outkick’s Don’t @ Me. “If anybody thinks that, I think they’re stupid. I support the gay community 100%. I support the transgender community 100%. But I do not, under any circumstances… think that men should play sports against women.”

Barkley’s stance is controversial, and it’s not just because it’s a hot-button topic. Barkley has been vocally supportive of the LGBTQ community for years, advocating for gay marriage rights as far back as 2008 and even buying cases of Bud Light in 2023, when the brand faced backlash for hiring trans advocate Dylan Mulvaney.

“Hey, I ain’t worried about getting canceled because lemme tell you something,” Barkley said at a golf tournament that year. “As I said last night, if you’re gay, God bless you. If you’re trans, God bless you. And if you have a problem with them f— you.”

Barkley’s comments also come as a surprise because of the political landscape they’re in. President Donald Trump passed an executive order entitled “Keeping Men Out Of Women’s Sports” in February, following an executive order that decreed that gender was the same as biological sex. Trans advocates feel that Trump’s moves threaten transgender people’s ability to change their driver’s license sex markers, acquire hormone therapy, and ultimately their ability to exist peacefully in public.

If Barkley is to be taken at his word, he continues to support other rights of the trans community – but his calling transgender women “men” doesn’t seem to align with the positions he’s previously expressed.

“I don’t even think that’s controversial… I don’t wanna hear you try to explain it to me. No, no, no, I don’t wanna hear it. I’m not gonna argue with you. Men shouldn’t play sports against women. I’m done,” he said. 

TNT basketball broadcaster Charles Barkley shared an astonishing story that displays the mutual respect among sports legends. The tale involves an unexpected and extravagant gift from future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, reinforcing that greatness in sports often comes with remarkable generosity and humility.

In a recent appearance on the Sports Illustrated podcast, Barkley recounted an incident from a TNT charity golf match broadcast a few years ago. While on air, Barkley complimented Brady on his expensive watch. “I make a nice comment about this watch, which is a pretty penny,” Barkley recalled. “I’m talking double-digit thousands.”

The comment soon became something far more memorable.

After the broadcast, one of Brady’s associates approached Barkley, informing him that Brady wanted to see him. Barkley, intrigued, went to find Brady, who then made an unexpected offer. “Tom, what’s up?” Barkley recounted asking. To his surprise, Brady responded, “‘Chuck, take my watch.’ I go, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Tom, I’m just saying you have a nice watch.’ [He says], ‘I appreciate the compliment,’ and he gives me this watch.” Despite Barkley’s initial reluctance, Brady insisted, and Barkley gratefully accepted the gift.

As Barkley later revealed, the watch is worth a staggering $250,000, a figure collectors have offered him. However, Barkley values the gesture far more than any monetary offer. “I wouldn’t sell it for any amount,” Barkley stated. This act of kindness left a lasting impression on Barkley, who admired Brady’s humility and generosity. “That’s what a guy Tom is,” he said. “Him and Wayne Gretzky, for being the GOATs of their sports are two of the nicest, most humble guys I ever met.”

Barkley emphasized that he never intended for his compliment to result in receiving the watch. “I didn’t want him to think I gave him a compliment on the watch because I wanted the watch,” he explained. 

During their respective playing careers in the NBA, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley had a very public friendship. The two would be seen out in public playing golf, they would spend time playing cards late into the night, they have done countless interviews together, they even both played on ‘The Dream Team’ back during the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. That friendship might not ever be what it once was though, at least in Barkley’s eyes.

In 2012, Barkley made comments about Jordan, criticizing how Jordan ran the Charlotte Hornets. Barkley said that Jordan had too many people-pleasers around him which had a negative effect on how Jordan ran the franchise as owner. It was these comments that created a fracture in the relationship between the two long-time friends. 

In an interview with ESPN Chicago, Barkley said he is not optimistic about the two ever getting back to where they were as friends. “The guy was like a brother to me for, shoot, 20-something years,” Barkley said. “At least 20-something years. And I do, I feel sadness. But to me, he’s still the greatest basketball player ever. I wish him nothing but the best. But, there’s nothing I can do about it, brother.”

As a member of the media, Barkley was annoyed that his comments seemed to create such a big rift between him and Jordan, although it is part of Barkley’s job to be critical of anything and everything basketball. “But part of my job (as an analyst) is because I can’t go on TV and say, ‘Another general manager sucks’ and then just because Michael’s like a brother to me say, ‘He’s doing a fantastic job.’ That would be disingenuous.”

Jordan has not made any comments publicly regarding his relationship with Barkley.

It’s March and that means that basketball analyst Charles Barkley is living his best life. He’s commenting on games that he doesn’t have a clue about. At halftime of the Yale versus LSU game, he was quick to praise the Tigers roster and play.

Barkley said “No team has as much talent top to bottom.” He added, “This is the most talented team arguably in the country.”

LSU, seeded no. 3, built up a 45-29 lead going into the second half against no. 14 Yale when Barkley decided to comment. LSU’s head coach, Will Wade, is out on an indefinite suspension after being caught by a federal wiretap talking with a basketball middleman about making a “strong-ass” offer to a recruit. However, a no. 3 seed eliminates a no. 14 seed in 84.6% of their NCAA tournament matchups. Predictably, LSU went on to a 79-74 win as Tremont Waters scored 15 points and dished out seven assists.

LSU will play Maryland in the second round after they beat Belmont 79-77.

While Barkley makes a lot of newsworthy remarks, what makes this one so interesting is that the Auburn University product fights with his TNT co-host Shaquille O’Neal almost daily. Shaq is an LSU alumni. Fans were quick to take to social media about Barkley doing all day analysis.

Here’s some of the best tweets about Sir Charles, the round mound of rebound:

Charles Barkley thanked basketball Hall of Fame center Bill Russell at Monday night’s NBA Awards, and Russell responded by giving the TNT analyst the middle finger on live television.

Bill Russell Flips Off Charles Barkley At NBA Awards 2018

Audience members clearly realized it, too, as they laughed amid the applause. Barkley was onstage with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to present Oscar Robertson with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and also paid tribute to several NBA legends when he got to Russell and thanked him. Russell later apologized for his gesture on Twitter, where he said flipping Barkley the bird was “pure instinct.”

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams!

Russell, who played his entire career (1956-1969) with the Celtics, has made that gesture to other people previously, however. Here, he did it to a cameraman during a game while sitting beside Chauncey Billups, and Kevin Garnett posted the photo on Instagram.

Russell was an 11-time NBA champion, a 12-time All-Star and a five-time MVP. At last year’s NBA Awards, Russell told Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Dikembe Mutombo and David Robinson he could still “kick their ass” if he really tried.

SLIDESHOW: 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

Fans on social media quickly started making jokes about it Russell’s middle finger toward Barkley:

Russell received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

The Detroit Pistons announced on Monday that the organization and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy will part ways after four years, and NBA members and pundits have already begun speculating who could or should replace him.

Charles Barkley On Pistons Hiring Isiah Thomas

On Monday night, Charles Barkley revealed to the rest of TNT’s Inside the NBA crew who he believes would be a strong choice to lead the Pistons.

“I’ve never said this on TV because it’s not my job to say people should get hired or fired,” Barkley explained. “But I would like … the Pistons (to) consider bringing in Isiah Thomas as their president of basketball operations.”

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams!

Barkley went on to note the success the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have found since bringing back Danny Ainge and Magic Johnson, respectively.

“I second that motion,” said Shaquille O’Neal.

And I third it,” said Kenny Smith. 

Thomas served as the New York Knicks’ president of basketball operations from 2003-2008. He hired Larry Brown as coach during his tenure as president. The Knicks went 151-259 during that five-year span. Thomas played for the Pistons before that from 1981 to 1994.

SLIDESHOW: 10 Highest-Paid Athletes

Thomas became embroiled in a scandal while serving as president of the Knicks when Anucha Browne Sanders — a woman who previously worked in the team’s front office— sued Thomas and Madison Square Garden for sexual misconduct. Sanders alleged Thomas assaulted her and then fired her after she filed a complaint. Thomas and the Garden were found guilty and the lawsuit was settled with MSG. Thomas, however, was forced to pay $11.5 million to Sanders, according to the New York Times.

Van Gundy had one year left on his five-year deal with the Pistons. He led the team to a 125-176 overall record and one playoff appearance in 2016, when Detroit fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Van Gundy also helped orchestrate the trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for Blake Griffin in January. The Pistons gave up a protected first-round draft pick as part of that deal.

The Pistons finished 39-43 (ninth in Eastern Conference) this year and missed the playoffs.

Dwyane Wade has spoken out about the feud between LeBron James and Charles Barkley and unsurprisingly, he has taken the side of James, his close friend and former Miami Heat teammate.

Dwyane Wade Backs LeBron In Feud With Charles Barkley

The skirmish began when TNT Inside the NBA analyst Barkley called James “whiny” for stating his Cleveland Cavaliers needed another playmaker to make a run for their second straight championship this year.

Following the Cavs’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, James fired back at Barkley, calling him a “hater.”

“I’m not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that,” James told ESPN. “I’m not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, ‘I’m not a role model.’ I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying.

“All I’ve done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that,” James added.

James continued his diatribe against Barkley, recalling the memory of watching an NBA Finals game from 1993, when Barkleys’ Phoenix Suns played the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

“Go watch the ’93 Finals when John Paxson hit the shot,” James said. “Barkley and Jordan were laughing and joking with each other during one of the games while somebody’s shooting a free throw. In the Finals. But, oh, nobody were friends back then.”

During a sessions with reporters on Tuesday, Wade addressed the feud:

“Thank god he finally said something,” the 35-year-old Bulls guard said Tuesday, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “LeBron, a lot of guys take a lot of shots at him — for whatever reason. He just has kept his mouth closed and continued to focus on what he needs to. But it’s about time he said something, man. Guys ride him, especially ex-players. When you have a history, when you can go and Google your history, you better be a little careful with what you say.”

Wade continued:

“Sometimes, when guys get a microphone in front of their face, they just talk and talk and talk and forget about their history. We all make that mistake, but especially that guy on TV. He acting like he just walks on water. And I like the fact that LeBron called him out and told him about himself a little bit. Humble yourself.

“LeBron is who he is. We all have flaws. But when your flaws are a little bit more, you shuld shut up. I’m glad LJ finally said something and stood up for himself from that standpoint. He said there’s a new sheriff in town. So I’m excited to see what’s next.”

CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 08: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Chicago Bulls tries to get off a shot after being fouled by Dewayne Dedmon #3 of the San Antonio Spurs at the United Center on December 8, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Russell Westbrook was named an All-Star reserve and scored 45 points in Oklahoma City’s victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Russell Westbrook Mocks Charles Barkley’s Fashion Style

Following the game, Westbrook was asked questions regarding the All-Star Game and the Thunder win, but then TNT’s David Aldridge decided to ask the guard a quirky question: his opinion on Charles Barkley’s fashion style.

“He’s the worst dresser on that [TNT] panel — by far,” Westbrook said. “Chuck is terrible!”

Barkley didn’t seem too offended by Westbrook’s comments, though.

“I might be in first place, but he’s a close second,” Barkley said on the broadcast.

Westbrook laughed at an old outfit Barkley sported in the early 1990s that was essentially a shiny purple tank top and shorts set, a pair of espadrilles and a man purse. The Thunder guard then said that even today Barkley isn’t the most fashionable person in the NBA world, to say the least.

Barkley also criticized Westbrook’s pre-game outfits during last year’s playoffs. He reacted to some by yelling: OH MY GOD. What the hell? What the hell is THAT?!”

The former NBA star and commentator also poked fun at Westbrook’s rustic wardrobe choice for what to wear before Thursday’s game. Westbrook was wearing a short and tight pair of ripped jeans, a wrinkled flannel shirt and a white bomber jacket.

“He lives in Oklahoma,” Westbrook said. “He probably got a tractor in the backyard. He probably was plowing something earlier today.”

In September, Westbrook went on NBC’s The Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon asked him about Barkley’s opinions on his style and Westbrook simply responded with a snarky “Who?”

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 28: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dribbles up court against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 2016 in New York City.

Shaquille O’Neal is obviously known as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, but on Thursday, the 44-year-old former Lakers star showed off his football catching and tackling skills.

Watch: Shaq Tackles Charles Barkley To The Ground ON TNT’s ‘Inside The NBA’

Fresh off Randy Moss claiming he could have been an NBA star, the future NFL Hall of Famer invited TNT’s Inside the NBA crew to play football with him. The legendary receiver threw a pass to Charles Barkley, and O’Neal-alias ‘Shaq’–blindsided Barkley with a huge tackle that sent him tumbling down to the ground.

Shaq was just getting started, however, since he followed that up with a tackle of Kenny Smith.

Moss, Smith, Kevin Garnett, Barkley, Shaq, and Ernie Johnson also attempted to throw a football into the basketball hoop on the set. None of them succeeded on their first attempt.

Watch the crew have a good time here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPenxt1g8Jw/

The playtime on the set comes eight months after a wrestling match between O’Neal and Barkley resulted in the Round Mound of Rebound Barkley’s backside on the rug of a studio.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 04: Former NBA player and commentator Shaquille O’Neal looks on prior to the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game between the Villanova Wildcats and the North Carolina Tar Heels at NRG Stadium on April 4, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Charles Barkley has long been vocal about his distaste for the Golden State Warriors’ style of play, and he criticized them again on Thursday before the Cleveland Cavaliers tipped off against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first half of a double-header on TNT.

Charles Barkley Slams Warriors’ ‘Girly Basketball’ Playing Style

“Maybe I’m old school, but I’m never going to like that little girly basketball where you have to outscore people,” Barkley said on the live broadcast. “I love [UConn women’s head coach] Geno Auriemma, one of my favorite people. I love women’s college basketball. But I don’t want it in the NBA.”

Clearly, the former NBA star didn’t mince words.This is hardly the first time Barkley slammed the Warriors for being a “jump-shooting team” that embraces a small-ball approach and that has had a long history of missing 3-pointers. Nevertheless, whatever Golden State has been doing seems to be working, despite the team’s unconventional playing style. The Warriors won the 2015 NBA Championship and has produced top, record-setting players like MVP point guard Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, and Steve Kerr was named the NBA Coach of the Year earlier this year.

The Warriors also set a league record as a team with an impressive 73 consecutive victories last season, thus surpassing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’s winning streak. Curry has set and broken several incredible individual records, among them the most 3-pointers in a game (13) earlier this month.

Nevertheless, the very-manly Barkley has still found something on which to harshly criticize the Warriors.

“The game’s going to come down to defense and rebounding,” he said in October, per For The Win’s Charles Curtis. “And easy baskets down low, that’s just my philosophy. If they win, maybe next time they can go get LeBron, then they can win that way, and y’all can still think that analytics [expletive] works.”

As the TNT crew began discussing who the best team in the Western Conference is, Barkley initially hesitated before finally settling on the San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors (16-3), who are at the top of the Western Conference, will next host the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. Golden State is coming off an overtime home loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

Caption:NEW YORK, NY – MAY 13: Charles Barkley (L) and Kenny Smith attend the Turner Upfront 2015 at Madison Square Garden on May 13, 2015 in New York City. 25201_002_DK_0321.JPG (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Turner)

Charles Barkley has shown once again that he isn’t afraid to speak his mind, even if many basketball fans, NBA members or his own colleagues may strongly disagree with him.

Charles Barkley: Klay Thompson Is NBA’s Second-Best Player, After LeBron James

The TNT analyst used the pre-game show before the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season-opening win against the New York Knicks on Tuesday to state who he believes is the second-best player in the league after LeBron James.

Barkley named Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson as the NBA’s second-best player.

The choice will undoubtedly come as a shocker to scores of NBA fans, who may have guessed Barkley would have given that prestigious title to reigning two-time MVP Steph Curry, 2014 MVP Kevin Durant– who was traded to Golden State from Oklahoma City this summer– or all-over-the-place forward Draymond Green. Nevertheless, none of these three Warriors stars shine as bright as Thompson, according to Barkley.

Co-analyst Kenny Smith began the discussion by saying that, in the offseason, the Warriors had added “the second-best player on Earth,” Durant. “You’re out of your mind,” Barkley told him.

When initially asked who his second-favorite hoopster was, Barkley said the Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard, then Thompson. He then clarified his position by saying, “I think Klay Thompson is the best all-around player, other than LeBron James, in the NBA.”

The analyst said Leonard was “right there,” but ultimately gave the nod to Thompson based on the latter’s better offensive skills. Barkley ranked Durant fourth and Curry fifth.

Many experts agree that Curry and Durant are not as capable defenders as Thompson and Leonard are. However, Curry led the league in player efficiency rating last season (per Basketball Reference), and by a significant margin, with his 31.5 mark well ahead of Durant’s second-place mark of 28.2. Meanwhile, Leonard was sixth at 26.0 and Thompson ranked far behind at 18.6. Obviously, there are several other measures besides PER to evaluate players, although it’s also worth noting that Curry’s mark in defensive win shares, 4.1 (per Basketball Reference again), ranked 10th in the NBA and well ahead of Thompson (2.6), but behind Green at 5.1.

Barkley probably has a stronger argument to make in favor of Leonard, given that the Spurs star finished second to Curry in MVP voting this year.

OAKLAND, CA – MARCH 25:  Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after making a three-point basket against the Dallas Mavericks at ORACLE Arena on March 25, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.  (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Former legendary NBA power forwards Charles Oakley and Charles Barkley spent nearly 20 years competing against each other for rebounds in the 1980s and 90s, and they appear to remain fierce rivals even today.

Charles Oakley Attacks Charles Barkley On Twitter

This time, the two greats have used social media for their feud.

It all began Wednesday night when Oakley, 52, responded to Barkley’s, 53, comments regarding the Cleveland Cavaliers following the team’s 123-98 Game 2 home victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Barkley suggested the Hawks need to get physical with the Cavs and commit a flagrant foul to make a point that they are standing up for themselves. Oakley is a Cleveland native. Barkley also added that he was especially displeased with Cleveland continuing to go for the NBA 3-point record late in the fourth quarter, and believed it to be disrespectful toward the Hawks.

Barkley, now an analyst for TNT who does not have a Twitter account, responded to Oakley’s tweet on the air after the game. “I don’t have to worry about my toughness,” Barkley said after the game. “Charles Oakley doesn’t like me, which is no big deal. I don’t like him or dislike him — I don’t think about him. He’s not important enough for me to think about.” 

Although Oakley didn’t fire back immediately, the fight may not be over. Oakley, who was drafted by the Cavaliers as a first-round pick out of Virginia Union in 1985, boasts a 19-year NBA career, during which he played for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets. He consistently ranked as one of the best rebounders in the league.

PHOTO: NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 05: Former professional basketball player Charles Oakley attends the 2012 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award presentation at Espace on December 5, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Charles Barkley seemed unable to contain his excitement for Villanova following the Wildcats’ victory in Monday night’s National Championship game.

Charles Barkley Leaps For Joy After Villanova Wins

Barkley looked just as poised as everyone else, and just like many others, jumped for joy immediately after Kris Jenkins sank the buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats a 77-74 win over the UNC Tar heels.

Barkley went on to explain his reaction in the following way:

“My daughter was living and dying with every game for the last three weeks, so I was really more excited for her, to be honest with you,’’ Barkley, who did commentary for TNT during the NCAA tournament, told USA TODAY Sports. “She’s been going to a Villanova bar in New York City every game. She didn’t even want to come to the game because she didn’t want to jinx the game.”

Barkley’s poor co-commentator Kenny Smith, a North Carolina alum, did not look even remotely as pleased by the result.

Barkley is also a longtime close friend of NBA great Michael Jordan, a former Tar heel. The two were close until Barkley grew critical of Jordan’s performance as owner of the Charlotte Hornets. On Monday, Barkley said, he saw Jordan in the crowd, but only the images that TNT captured for its broadcast.

“I was working all night,’’ Barkley said when asked if they spoke.

The Wildcats’ National Championship title was their first since 1985.

Charles Barkley is known for being a man of many talents, but being adept at using technology is certainly not one of them.

Charles Barkley Struggles To Use Touchscreen At NCAA Tournament Selection Show

Barkley joined Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Seth Davis on the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday and attempted picking his bracket using a giant touchscreen. However, the task proved to be quite the struggle for Sir Charles, who was trying to select his picks for the South Region.

Smith seemed to be making fun of Barkley’s over-lotioned hands in the background.”I’m a metrosexual. I get mani-pedis every week,” Barkley retorted.

Davis eventually jumped in to pick the next region.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTj9BTMyvr4

TNT analyst and former basketball star Charles Barkley had some very positive things to say about San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard. 

“Kawhi Leonard is the best basketball player in the world, in my opinion,” Barkley said on Thursday. This comment prompted Kenny Smith to interject and ask if Barkley really thinks Leonard is better than Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

“First of all, Steph is the best offensive player in the NBA,” said Barkley. “LeBron was the best player for the last 10 years or more, but as his age, I would take Kawhi Leonard over any basketball player in the world right now.” Shaquille O’Neal, however, seemed to disagree with Barkley about Leonard.

The statements were exchanged right before the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-95 at the AT&T Center on Thursday night. During the game, Leonard had 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal, all in 40 minutes. He also shot 6-for-14 and guarded James very well.

Leonard is currently the NBA leader in 3-point percentage (.507). His response, via CBS Sports’ Ananth Pandian, was exactly what you’d expect: “I’m not focused on that, I’m just trying to go out there and win an NBA championship for my team.”

Get Great Phone Deals From Amazon:

On TNT’s Inside the NBA, legendary motor-mouth Charles Barkley was asked about this tweet – and he went off on Daryl Morey and the  science known as analytics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZf9NFaCQHQ

The video begins with Barkeley going right after the Rockets’ GM.  “Just because you got good stats, doesn’t mean you are a good team,” he said. “They are not a good team defensively… I’m not worried about Daryl Morey, one of those idiots who believe in analytics.” Best part of this entire video is Shaq’s reaction: he simply could not control his laughing and added, “that was very vitriol of you to say.”

Soon Barkley decided to comment on the state of analytics in general. “I’ve always believed analytics was crap,” he said. “You know I’ve never mentioned the Rockets as a legitimate contender because they’re not. Listen, I wouldn’t know Daryl Morey if he walked in this room right now.”

“Analytics don’t work at all,” he continued, “It’s just some crap some people who were really smart made up to try to get into the game ’cause they had no talent.”

It is always an event when someone pisses off  Barkley, but to hear him spit vitriol like this is something special. There are plenty of critics of analytics out there, but Barkley’s non-sensical childish comments probably do not help their cause. Either way, last night’s Inside the NBA was interesting to say the least.