"Common misconception" - NBA fans in splits after Kenny Smith's academy players thought Charles Barkley was Vince Carter

TNT's Kenny Smith's academy members mixed up NBA legends Charles Barkley and Vince Carter during Tuesday night's Emirates NBA Cup coverage. The misconception left NBA fans in stitches as they quipped about the Hall of Famers' resemblance.

At a game break, TNT panned the camera to a group of youth players from Smith's basketball program, Jet Academy. During the segment, the two-time NBA champion highlighted his amusement at a few of the youngsters' comments about Barkley.

Smith called the three children over to the studio desk, where they confirmed that they initially thought the 1993 MVP was Carter.

"But the most funniest thing ever — Wait, wait, wait. Y'all three, I need the three. Come on over. ... Who did y'all think he was the first time?" Smith asked the three children.

"Vince Carter," the children said in unison.

The TNT crew burst into laughter. Afterward, Barkley, 61, shook his head at getting mistaken for someone 14 years his junior.

Fans on X/Twitter also chimed in, with several sharing Carter and Barkley-related memes.

"Vince Carter right now," @MillzRun captioned a GIF of Carter getting emotional at his Toronto Raptors jersey retirement.

@_TJSTEELER shared a meme of Barkley as a child captioned "Charles Barkley looking like a 10-year-old father."

Some also poked fun at Carter's "Half man, Half Amazing" nickname.

"Half Man, Half Donut," @richinsol wrote.

Meanwhile, others offered humorous remarks about the legends' likeness.

"Common misconception," @EdgeSportsApp wrote.

"They're wrong for that," @Legoat23_39 said.

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Charles Barkley wins massive bet with Shaquille O'Neal as he gets mistaken for Vince Carter

On Tuesday's TNT broadcast, in which Charles Barkley was mistaken for Vince Carter, Barkley won a massive bet with his co-host Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal seemingly jokingly bet Barkley $2 million that the then-15-0 Cleveland Cavaliers would dispatch the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics by 10-plus points. They later increased the stakes to $3 million and then $5 million.

After Boston won 120-117, O'Neal backtracked, noting that Barkley would only get $30,000 after "Shaq taxes." However, the 11-time All-Star had no interest in the compromise and left the offer on the table.

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