"When Michael Jordan played, he stepped on floor 80+ games" - Jason Whitlock exonerates Charles Barkley from NBA ratings fall

Jason Whitlock defended Charles Barkley for his take on the dip in NBA ratings. The former Phoenix Suns star raised a few eyebrows when he shared his two cents by asking league commissioner Adam Silver to "seriously consider starting on Christmas" as the immense competition from the NFL and college football see the latter duo winning the weekend viewership contest.

Whitlock, on X (formerly Twitter) said Barkley and 'Inside the NBA' were not at fault. He referenced Michael Jordan's ability to be the league's Iron Man by playing the maximum number of games per season and cited the absence of key players as one of the main reasons behind the viewership decline.

"There’s a lack of competition in the NBA, and it’s a problem. People are trying to blame Charles Barkley and “Inside the NBA," but they aren’t at fault. When Michael Jordan played, he stepped on the floor 80+ games for 11 years. Players don’t even play anymore. They’ve made rules based around players sitting out of games. You can’t blame the state of the NBA on Barkley."

Charles Barkley was not the only former athlete who shared his views on the viewership decline. Former LA Lakers icon Magic Johnson and the franchise's current coach JJ Redick put forth their thoughts. Redick blamed the media and Twitter for it while Johnson touched upon load management and the need for players to suit up regularly throughout the season.

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FS1 analyst earlier blamed Charles Barkley and 'Inside the NBA' for ratings decline

FS1 analyst Jason McIntyre believed Charles Barkley and the rest of the hosts may have played a part in ticking off NBA fans with their constant potshots at the league rather than promoting it. Speaking on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" this week, McIntyre blamed the network's coverage of the NBA for the ratings decline.

"I would argue that 'Inside the NBA,' the show that everybody loves, has done more damage to the NBA the last decade than anything.”

The buzz on the show is if ESPN will have a say in their on-screen takes when the show makes an official move to Disney starting next season. While ESPN head honcho Burke Magnus said the show would retain its exact format, it will be interesting to see if the crew's recent comments and McIntyre's feelings on the fans' upset with the digs might prompt a few changes next year.