Maybe Charles Barkley’s new nine-figure contract extension has softened him up a bit.
The outspoken “Inside the NBA” commentator recently secured a big deal from TNT and was back with the crew Tuesday afternoon live from San Francisco, as they have set up a stage across the street from Chase Center. Hours before the Warriors were set to receive their 2022 NBA championship rings and play the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chuckster was playing nice with Dub Nation.
“We're here to celebrate the Warriors,” Barkley said. “I’m not gonna say anything bad about it. This is their night.”
"We're here to celebrate the Warriors. This is their night."
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) October 18, 2022
— Charles Barkley#NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/Xyhgl6qZUB
“Way to take the high road,” co-host Ernie Johnson said.
“He should take the high road, he got that 200!,” Shaquille O’Neal said, making reference to Barkley’s reported near-$200 million deal. “Chucky Two Bills!”
Obviously, the live crowd loved to hear Barkley’s praise.
It was a stark departure from Barkley’s interactions with Warriors fans last year during the Western Conference Finals, when they heckled him and threw T-shirts on stage and had some NSFW responses.
This time around, Barkley is touting the Warriors future with young players like Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman.
"If Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman play well, the Golden State Warriors could actually win the next 3 or 4 championships."
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) October 18, 2022
— Charles Barkley#NBATwitter #DubNation pic.twitter.com/yJdPJM4HHk
“I’m the biggest Kuminga fan in the world,” Barkley said. “I don’t know about Wiseman, because I’ve never seen him play. But, with Poole and Moody, Kuminga and Wiseman, these guys. The other two guys have already done their thing, Poole and Moody. But if Kuminga and Wiseman play well, the Golden State Warriors could actually win the next three or four championships.”
That’s a bold take from Barkley, who was notoriously one of the Warriors’ biggest haters and non-believers in a shoot-first strategy. Now Golden State is going for a repeat and their fifth championship in nine seasons, with the contract framework to bring back 12 players to the 2023-24 squad, so a continuity plan is in place.
Check back in 2025 to see if Chucky Two Bills was right.
