Charles Barkley has said in the past that it bothers him when superstar players only reach out to him after he criticizes them but never after he compliments them. Apparently that happened once with him and Kobe Bryant, and it left Chuck with a story he’ll be able to tell for the rest of his life.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” Thursday, Barkley spoke about how sensitive star players can be when he calls them out. The Hall of Famer recalled one time when he ripped Bryant during TNT’s postgame show because Bryant barely took any shots in the second half of a game against the Phoenix Suns. Barkley noted that he had praised Bryant on countless occasions before, but Kobe didn’t care about any of that.
“I went off on him after the game saying, ‘Kobe, I’ve always liked you, but what you did tonight was bogus. You didn’t take a shot in the second half. You were trying to prove a point that you didn’t have any help.’ He called me from 1 o’clock in the morning until 4 o’clock in the morning, cursing me out like a dog. It was all in text (message). We were going back and forth and I was like, ‘Yo, would you please call me?’ He called me every name in the book.”
You can hear the full story below, but beware that that video contains inappropriate language.
The game Barkley was referring to was Game 7 of a 2006 playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix. Kobe attempted just three shots in the second half of the blowout loss, and the Lakers were eliminated. He faced a great deal of criticism for quitting on the team, as many thought he was trying to prove a point about how little help he had.
We’re guessing Barkley didn’t back down when Kobe called him out. As many other star players could tell you, that is hardly his style.
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