It’s been a while since the NBA legend Charles Barkley got a chance to get on air and speak his mind.
Over the weekend, Barkley had plenty to say, but one of his statements stuck as his comments on the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets-Washington Wizards game went viral on social media.
“I’ll tell you what—you had nothing to do today—if you went to this game, you had nothing to do today,” Barkley said as the highlights played out. One version of the clip generated over five million impressions on X.
Many NBA fans responded with their thoughts. Houston Rockets superstar Kevin Durant shared a reaction of his own.
@KDTrey5: Did yall laugh?
Did yall laugh? Https://t.co/hYjubpzskY
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 25, 2026
Similar to Durant, many NBA fans weren’t fond of Barkley’s jab at the game between two Eastern Conference rebuilders.
On one hand, the Hornets and the Wizards are two teams who are unlikely to make the NBA playoffs this season. The Wizards are holding a 10-34 record, and are currently in the midst of a nine-game losing streak.
They might have the All-Star Trae Young on the roster, but the former Atlanta Hawks star is still nursing multiple setbacks. Therefore, they haven’t had a chance to roll him out just yet.
Then, there is the Charlotte Hornets, who are 18-28 on the year. While the record says they are a bad team again, there have been plenty of flashes this year that suggest Charlotte could be a move away from finally turning it around and poking their heads into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
On the other hand, basketball fans clearly don’t take any issue with people spending their time to go watch hoops. That left Barkley facing more backlash than he probably would have in the past. The call-out from Durant didn’t do him any favors.
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