Charles Barkley reminds JJ Redick that Lakers fired Frank Vogel, Darvin Ham: 'You just a dead man walking'

Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times on Jan 3, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick went on a bit of a tangent last month about how an overly critical media might be partially responsible for a decline in NBA ratings this season.

Charles Barkley, a basketball Hall of Famer and longtime analyst on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” show, apparently took Redick’s words personally and delivered a rant of his own two weeks later.

As Barkley and company were showing the highlights from the Boston Celtics’ 118-115 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, host Ernie Johnson commented on the high number of 3-point shots (96) attempted during the game.

Barkley sarcastically commented that it was his fault and that “I heard JJ Redick said something about me.”

Johnson took the bait and asked, “Did he name you specifically or was he just talking about folks on TV?”

Barkley took over from there, speaking about Redick as the Celtics-Timberwolves highlights continued to run.

“He said something about we’re the reason people ain’t watch this crappy product we got,” Barkley said. “Yeah us, like we out there jacking up 100 threes a night. JJ, JJ, you come for the king, you better not miss. ‘Cause I can get you, brother, ‘cause I got your — remember, I got your Lakers games.”

Barkley kept going about Redick and the Lakers (19-14), mentioning the two men who preceded Redick as the team’s head coach.

“You can’t hide them flaws they got. You just a dead man walking,” Barkley said. “They got rid of Frank Vogel, who did a good job. They got rid of Darvin Ham, who did a good job. You came out there thinking you were gonna change things with that same ugly girl you went on the date with.”

At this point, Johnson resumed describing the highlights being shown onscreen, but Barkley wasn’t deterred and kept talking over him, much to the amusement of fellow analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.

“He came in there thinking, ‘I can make this thing work.’ Hell you can. Put some makeup on that pig. The Lakers stink, man. Come on man,” Barkley said. “We’re the reason ratings are down. We the reason, like we playing. … Hey listen, if me and Shaq played, the ratings would be down. But in fairness, if me and Shaq played, we’d be like the third or fourth best players on that Laker team right now. ‘Chuck, get in the game! Shaq, get in the game!’ Damn bombs out there. But it’s Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham’s fault.”

Johnson finally asked, “How did we go there from Minnesota and Boston?”

Barkley responded: “‘Cause all these people jacking up 100 threes saying we’re the reason ratings are down. Thirty seconds to another three-point shooting contest!”

The Celtics lead the league this season with 50.6 3-pointers attempted per game, while the Timberwolves are sixth with 40 per game.

Sports Media Watch reported in mid-December that an average of 1.4 million viewers were watching NBA games on ABC, ESPN and TNT this season, which is down 19% from last year. Barkley and the “Inside the NBA” crew are among those who have criticized the league’s players for the amount of shots being attempted from 3-point range.

Redick, who worked for ESPN as an NBA analyst from 2021 until he was hired by the Lakers in June, was asked about the dip in ratings while addressing reporters ahead of L.A.’s game against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 19. Redick offered a number of possible explanations before turning his focus on the media.

“I don’t think that we — and by we, I was part of it, we as sort of the national partners — have done a good job of storytelling, of celebrating the game,” Redick said. “If I’m a casual fan and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks, well, I’m not going to watch the product. And that’s really what has happened over the past 10 to 15 years. I don’t know why. It’s not funny to me.”

He added: “The league is more talented and skilled than it was 18 years ago when I was drafted. That’s a fact. There are more players that are excellent. There are more teams that are excellent. … We don’t have anybody that’s willing to step up to the fact that this is an awesome game and we should talk about it and celebrate it in a positive way. That doesn’t mean we don’t critique it. We should critique it. But we should celebrate it. Nobody’s doing that.”

The NBA has received some positive ratings in recent weeks. Nielsen reports that the league’s five-game Christmas Day slate averaged 5.25 million viewers, up 84% from last year. The Lakers’ 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors that evening averaged 7.91 million viewers and peaked with about 8.45 million viewers.

With the NBA leaving TNT after this season, “Inside the NBA” will move to ESPN but will continue to be produced by TNT.