On the Tuesday, Dec. 10 edition of Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley told Kenny Smith to reconsider what he was saying when he quickly name-dropped Jay-Z.
At one point in the show, the hosts discussed Stephen A. Smith publicly challenging Kenny Smith to a free-throw contest. "You said the man was not even on your level," said Barkley, to which Smith replied, "He's not!" Barkley chimed in to say he shouldn't be so dismissive because his challenger had played college basketball. "So did a lot of people in the world," Smith added, which got a chuckle from Barkley.
Ernie Johnson said that Smith said he was "a heavyweight" in comparison to Stephen A. Smith, who he called "a flowerweight."
"You gotta work your way up to the champ!" Smith said. "Listen, man... You think Jay-Z or—" he continued, at which point he was cut off by Barkley. "Probably not a good time right now," Barkley said, prompting Shaquille O'Neal to quietly get up and walk off. "Go see if you can fix the wall, will you Shaq?" Johnson said while facing away from the camera, clearly not trying to laugh. After they were able to regain their composure, Smith decided to switch out Hov for Kendrick Lamar.
Barkley was seemingly referring to the allegation against Jay-Z, who was recently added to a lawsuit that accused him and Diddy raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000. He has adamantly denied the allegations and released a statement accusing the lawyer attached to the lawsuit, Tony Buzbee, of engaging in shady practices including extortion.
The news of the lawsuit has prompted reactions throughout pop culture, including from 50 Cent who thought it was hilarious that he showed up to the premiere of Mufasa alongside his family despite the lawsuit. Others such as Tony Yayo, Soulja Boy, and Meek Mill have cast doubt on the validity of the allegations.