Kenny Smith tried sharing a touching moment about his championship rings. Charles Barkley turned it into prime-time comedy.
The Inside the NBA crew delivered another classic exchange. Smith opened up about giving away both his 1994 and 1995 championship rings to family members. Chuck couldn’t resist torching his co-host’s sentimental story.
Charles Barkley Suggests Kenny Smith Give His Championship Rings to Hakeem Olajuwon Instead of Family
Smith set the stage with genuine emotion, explaining why he decided to gift his once-in-a-lifetime hardware to his dad and brother who shaped his basketball journey.
“I gave both of my championship rings away,” Smith said. “I gave them to the people who were the reasons I got them. I gave the first to my father and the second to my brother. Without them, I never would have won them so it’s only fair they get them.”
Then Barkley dropped the ironic hammer right away, following the heartwarming confession. “If that’s the case, you should have given both of them to Hakeem,” Chuck fired back.
The entire TNT crew, including Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson, couldn’t contain their laughter. Smith sat there, hilariously caught between defending his feelings and acknowledging the reality check.
Barkley put that roast on the table due to the history. Hakeem Olajuwon carried Houston through its back-to-back titles, winning Finals MVP both years. In the 1994 Finals, he averaged 26.9 points and 9.1 rebounds and took down Patrick Ewing and the Knicks in seven games.
The following season, he overwhelmed O”Neal and the Magic, averaging 32.8 points in their 4-0 run. No one could stop him—not Shaq, not David Robinson in the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Smith was good but not the finest one like Hakeem.
So, Barkley’s savage take also brought a smile to Smith’s face. The chemistry between these legends makes Inside the NBA appointment television. They push boundaries by roasting each other mercilessly. Yet nobody takes genuine offense.
The show moves to ESPN and ABC next season, and the crew is staying together. Fans will glue themselves to the TV screen expecting more sharp back-and-forth about championships, legacies, and who really earned the hardware.
