NBA fans couldn’t hold in their chuckle as they watched Kenny Smith take a shot at Charles Barkley when the retired NBA legend seemed to praise ESPN a little too much in his first episode on ‘Inside the NBA’ after the show moved to this network.
Barkley’s words had to be taken with a pound of salt, especially since the retired NBA legend has been known to be pretty vocal about criticizing the network before. Smith clearly could not stand Barkley’s sweet-talking and hit back at him with a sentence that had everyone cracking up.
“I was nervous today…Every person who’s ever touched a ball wanted to be on ESPN. They are the greatest sports network ever.” Charles Barkley said in the first episode of ‘Inside the NBA’.
Charles Barkley: “I was nervous today…Every person who’s ever touched a ball wanted to be on ESPN. They are the greatest sports network ever.”
Kenny Smith: “Do you want a napkin for all that kissing up you just did?”
🤣🤣🤣🤣. (via @SportsCenter)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 22, 2025
“Do you want a napkin for all that kissing up you just did?” Kenny Smith jokingly asked Barkley, clearly stunning the NBA legend.
“Chuck took that Ozempic summer break (crying emoji)” one fan commented.
“nah that’s WILD bruh (laughing with tears emoji, crying emoji) told Charles to wipe the jizzle off his mout” another fan added.
“Kenny’s face after that comment (laughing with tears emoji)Bet Chuck regrets that now. Wonder if TNT’s gonna use this clip!” one more fan stated.
NBA Fans Continue To Troll Charles Barkley For Kissing Up To ESPN
NBA fans were having a wild party in the comments section of the viral video sharing Charles Barkley praising ESPN. Barkley would definitely have gone on a lot more if Kenny Smith hadn’t brutally roasted him on national television.
“Is Barkley genuinely praising ESPN, or is this just sports politics and networking at its finest??” a fan reacted.
Is Barkley genuinely praising ESPN, or is this just sports politics and networking at its finest??
— Hardik Gohil (@GohilHardy) October 23, 2025
“Ain’t this the dude that said ‘you not gone work me like a dog and not pay me’.” one more fan added in the comments section.
“Kenny Smith is the undisputed king of the instant clap-back. You can’t even get a compliment out around him (crown emoji, laughing with tears emoji)” another fan stated.
Charles Barkley will be seen on ESPN plenty in this new NBA season as the legend takes his broadcasting skills to a new network. However, fans will surely not let Barkley forget his previous comments on how much he hates ESPN. Barkley has previously trolled the network for their poor quality of coverage, including the people they brought on their shows.
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