"You only got good in the NBA" - Kenny Smith hilariously roasts Charles Barkley during TNT Player of the Game debate

Kenny "The Jet" Smith wasn't having any of Charles Barkley's antics on the latest episode of Inside the NBA. Smith roasted his co-analyst after the Hall of Famer made fun of the two-time NBA champ's story about legendary coach and announcer Hubie Brown.

On Thursday's episode of Inside the NBA on TNT, Ernie Johnson congratulated Brown on his retirement at the age of 91. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year is set to call the final game of his career on Sunday in a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.

During the conversation, Smith mentioned being awarded the TNT Player of the Game several times by Brown, who frequently complimented and coached him on his performance. Barkley silently laughed, seemingly suggesting it didn't happen and casting doubt on his colleague's skills in the 1990s.

That's when "The Jet" hilariously fired back at "Sir Charles":

"Stop playing, man. Stop doubting my skill level. You only got good in the NBA. High school, you was a scrub. You didn't make McDonald's All-American. You didn't win one college NCAA (tournament) game and you're supposed to be a Top 50 player of all time. You got good when you were 25."

From 2:34 onward:

Charles Barkley couldn't stop laughing, while Shaquille O'Neal added fuel to the fire. Ernie Johnson eventually redirected the conversation back to the legendary Hubie Brown.

Regarding Kenny Smith's comments, it's true that Barkley wasn't invited to the McDonald's All-American Game. He wasn't heavily recruited in high school and only received an offer from Auburn following his performance in the state semifinals.

At Auburn, Barkley led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 1984. They lost in the first round to Richmond, with "The Round Mound of Rebound" declaring for the NBA Draft that same year. He was selected fifth overall by the Philadelphia 76ers despite not winning any titles in college.

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Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal draft All-Star teams

Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal draft All-Star teams. (Photo: IMAGN)

In the revamped 2025 All-Star Game format, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal drafted three teams to compete with the Rising Stars champion in a four-team tournament. Shaq went with big-name stars, Kenny drafted up-and-coming talents, while Chuck went with international players.

Here are the full rosters:

Team Shaq: LeBron James, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Jaylen Brown.

Team Kenny: Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jalen Williams, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham and Tyler Herro.

Team Chuck: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun, Karl-Anthony Towns and Donovan Mitchell.

The 2025 All-Star Weekend will be held from Feb. 14 to 16 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.