Fans have been expressing discontent with " Inside the NBA " coverage this season. They say that the show is just "trashing" the product and not offering an actual analysis of the game, paling in comparison with their emerging rivals from NBC and Amazon Prime.
On Friday night, the show did not help its cause when NBA legend Charles Barkley went off against the Los Angeles Lakers following their 125-122 win over the Los Angeles Clippers .
Barkley called both teams bad and dismissed the Lakers' chances of reaching the NBA mountaintop, no matter how the tides turn, whether their stars remain consistent, or whether they improve their defense.
It was a bold and stinging criticism – one that Lakers superstar Austin Reaves overheard while waiting for his postgame interview with the crew.
After asking Kenny "The Jet" Smith what he thought the Lakers' ceiling was, Ernie Johnson turned to Barkley for his takeaway. And as expected, he gave them a blunt answer.
"Neither one of these teams are any good. No disrespect. They're not championship contenders. They maybe can win a round," Barkley said .
Luka Doncic paced the team with 38 points, six rebounds and 11 assists, while Reaves followed with 29 points, six rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, LeBron James added 13 points, three rebounds and 11 assists. According to pundits, the Lakers' chances to contend depend on the consistency of this star trio, but Barkley begged to differ.
"Just because they won, that they beat a mediocre Clippers team, and I know the guys going to go on TV because, you know, they throw them stats out there…When those three guys play together, they still ain't going to [contend]," he said.
Barkley believes that the seeding in the loaded Western Conference will ultimately determine their fate, especially with their rivals standing in their way.
"If they're six, seven and eight and they have to play Denver, Houston, or OKC, they're not going to beat those teams," he said. "I'm not even sure they can beat San Antonio. Let me rephrase it: they can't beat San Antonio."
As Barkley wrapped up his speech, Johnson then masterfully transitioned to Reaves for the postgame interview – and it did not faze the Arkansas native one bit.
After their win against the Clippers (27-29), the Lakers improved to a 34-21 record, good for fifth-best in the Western Conference. The team's consistent top-five placement would not have been possible with Reaves' surge this season.
As the No. 2 option behind Doncic, he is averaging 25.4 points on 50.8 shooting from the field, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. But with this rise comes the relentless criticism of fans and pundits.
Every NBA player knows that criticism is part of the game. And admittedly, the Lakers' defense, which is 24th in the league, needs a lot of work. But at the end of the day, these are just outside noise.
Although Reaves has gotten used to it, he knows that only he and the Lakers control how their season goes. That's why he could not care less about Barkley's remarks.
"Everybody's entitled to their own opinion," he said. "I just go out there and play the game the right way…Sometimes you got to do what you got to do to get on the court."
And Reaves will keep doing that to keep elevating the Lakers, and ultimately, make Barkley eat his words. They will next face the Boston Celtics at home.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
