"Lakers suck and the Suns suck because of the players": Charles Barkley leaves no holds barred in agonizingly honest take

Charles Barkley has never been one to hold back his opinions. He refuses to apologize and is unafraid to criticize NBA players on live broadcasts. Barkley has also taken out everyone, from athletes to politicians. On “Inside the NBA,” Barkley spoke against those who criticize NBA coaches for playoff failures.

He thinks the reason the LA Lakers and Phoenix Suns were eliminated had nothing to do with Darvin Ham or Frank Vogel.

“Anybody who thinks the Lakers suck because of Darvin Ham or the reasons the Suns suck is because of Frank Vogel, you don’t know what you are talking about,” Barkley said. “The Lakers suck and the Suns suck because of the players. It has nothing to do with the coaches."

Barkley thinks the blame lies with the players. He also took a shot at the front offices and general managers who assembled the Lakers and Suns.

“People who put them teams together should start packing up their stuff,” Barkley said.

Barkley was not done. He also had some tough words for those in sports media who are too kind to the players, in his opinion. Barkley did not hold back.

“A lot of these people on television are cowards because they want people to like them. They don’t want to do their job, which is to tell the truth,” Barkley said.

“All you punks, idiots and jacka**es on other networks, who want to be media and want all of the players to like y’all, do your damn job.”

Barkley was relieved to get this thought off his chest. Barkley's teammates, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal, are usually full of jokes for him. This time, their reaction was more muted, as if they were stunned by Barkley's strong take.

Will Charles Barkley leave TNT?

Charles Barkley is one of the biggest stars in sports media and television. He is known as the star of “Inside the NBA” on TNT. However, Turner Sports, now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery could lose their NBA rights with the next broadcast deal.

If that happens, many wonder what will happen to “Inside the NBA” and where Charles Barkley may end up. Barkley has confirmed his contract has a clause where he can cancel his deal if TNT loses NBA rights.

He would then become a free agent and could demand a hefty price tag for his services. He is currently on a 10-year deal with TNT, which he signed two years ago.

If his contract is waived once the NBA rights are transferred to another network, Barkley could reportedly want $20 million per year on a new agreement with another network.

ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBC are all in contention to try and acquire rights with the new deal. The current NBA rights deal with ESPN and TNT ends after the 2024–25 season. Charles Barkley would be highly coveted among the networks that land the rights in the new deal.