Image via Complex Original
I should probably start this off by saying that I don't hate Charles Barkley. In fact, I really like the guy. Without him, I'd turn off the 10:30 p.m. NBA games that air every Thursday night on TNT long before midnight. But because Barkley exists—and because he's liable to say just about anything at anytime on Inside the NBA after the 10:30 game ends—I find myself tuning into the post-game shows more often than not and hitting people with "Yo, did you just hear what Chuck said?!" text messages at all hours of the night. And while the people I'm texting have likely grown to hate Barkley, I haven't.
That being said, Barkley isn't for everyone. He's loud. He's opinionated. And if you don't agree with something that he says, he will come after you. Just ask Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Or Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. Or Gabrielle Union. Or…well, you get the point. Barkley has been involved in beefs, both big and small, with a variety of people over the years. So with the Round Mound of Rebound celebrating his 52nd birthday today, we thought it'd be the perfect time to put together A Comprehensive List of Everyone Who Hates Charles Barkley. Consider this our b-day gift to you, Chuck. We hope you like it more than these people like you!
Michael Jordan
Hates Barkley because: He criticized MJ for the way he was running the Bobcats a few years ago.
Any chance of them making up? Yes. These two were frenemies throughout their respective NBA careers and were both part of the 1992 Dream Team. So you'd think that, at some point, they'd be able to patch things up. MJ isn't exactly the most forgiving guy in the world. But once Charlotte starts enjoying some more success, he should (emphasis on should!) be able to look back and agree with some of the things that Barkley said about his early years with the Charlotte franchise.
DeMarcus Cousins
Hates Barkley because: He said something about Cousins when he was in high school that the Kings forward has apparently never forgiven him for.
Any chance of them making up? No. It's still a little bit unclear why Cousins dislikes Barkley so much. But as recently as last week, Cousins said he doesn't "really respect" Barkley, and Barkley has gone on the record and said that he'd fight Cousins. So these two will probably never be friends, regardless of the fact that they both hail from the state of Alabama.
Charles Oakley
Hates Barkley because: Oakley got into a fight with him during an NBA Players Association meeting in 1999 and then got into it with him again during a preseason game later that year.
Any chance of them making up? No. In 2012, we put up a post called "Charles Oakley Will Hate Charles Barkley Forever," and we meant it. Even though it's been years now since they squared off on the court, Oakley had nothing but bad things to say about Barkley a couple years ago. "I just don't like the way he tried to act like he was a good citizen when he played or that he was this and that," he said. "He was one of the hardest people to get along with, to play with, everything."
Skip Bayless
Hates Barkley because: Barkley hates him. He once said he'd like to kill the First Take host and, just this week, he referred to him as a "scumbag" during an interview with Dan Patrick.
Any chance of them making up? No. Bayless doesn't say a whole lot about Barkley, but Barkley has ripped Bayless over and over and over again. So we wouldn't expect him to make an appearance alongside Skip and Stephen A. anytime soo…er, ever.
Tim Duncan's Girlfriend Vanessa Macias
Hates Barkley because: He made a fat joke about the women of San Antonio.
Any chance of them making up? No. If Barkley is asked about San Antonio women again this season, he's going to say the same things he said last year, whether Macias likes it or not.
Daryl Morey
Hates Barkley because: He doesn't agree with his stance on analytics.
Any chance of them making up? No. One, because no matter what anyone says, Barkley isn't going to buy into the idea that analytics are as important as people think they are. And two, because Barkley said he "wouldn't know Daryl Morey if he walked in this room right now" during his Inside the NBA rant about him.
Carmelo Anthony
Hates Barkley because: He and his Inside the NBA coworker Kenny Smith told Carmelo that he "should worry about trying to get players to join him" in 2013 instead of thinking about leaving the Knicks.
Any chance of them making up? Yes. Carmelo didn't take too kindly to their suggestions—"They don't know what I'm doing," he said—but Barkley and Smith have said way worse things about other players. Then again, after some of the comments Barkley has made about the Knicks this season, maybe Carmelo will hate him forever.
Heat Fans
Hate Barkley because: He said Miami had the "worst fans" in the NBA in 2011. "It's not even loud in [American Airlines Arena]," he said. "You're at the game and you're like, 'Man, this place isn't even loud.' At least when you go to Chicago, it's loud in there. It's crazy down in Dallas, but it's not even loud in Miami."
Any chance of them making up? No. Barkley and the Heat fans have exchanged middle fingers on a number of occasions over the last few years. And even though LeBron James is gone now and the spotlight isn't shining on Miami anymore, Barkley hasn't stopped taking shots at the Heat fans.
Wayne Newton
Hates Barkley because: We don't know? But Newton did an interview in 2009 and ripped him. "I don't need his shit," Newton said. "I don't put up with his shit. Don't make me come to the ATL and bust a cap in his big ass."
Any chance of them making up? Uhhh…no? We kind of think Newton was just kidding around. But we never really got a great explanation as to the origin of the "beef" between Newton and Barkley.
Josh Gordon
Hates Barkley because: He said that the Browns wide receiver "is going to die" if he doesn't start taking his alleged drug and alcohol addictions more seriously during an interview on ESPN's His & Hers earlier this year.
Any chance of them making up? No. Gordon wrote an open letter last month and called Barkley out in it. Despite Barkley's concern for him, it doesn't seem Gordon appreciated the way that Barkley spoke about him, so Gordon asked him not to mention his name in that way again.
Gabrielle Union
Hates Barkley because: He was critical of Dwyane Wade's selection to the NBA All-Star team this season.
Any chance of them making up? No. Union called Barkley out for not winning an NBA title, and Barkley responded by calling her out for appearing in Snakes on a Plane (even though she wasn't actually in that movie!). You can't revive a relationship after comments like that.
Tiger Woods
Hates Barkley because: He got cut out of the golfer's life after the scandal that rocked Tiger's world in 2009.
Any chance of them making up? No. Barkley admitted that, even before the incident in 2009, the two weren't the best of friends. "He was so consumed with being the greatest golfer ever, he wasn't a very sociable guy," Barkley said last summer. "Even when he was a friend of mine, he wasn't a very sociable guy. He just had a one-track mind. He just wanted to break Jack Nicklaus' record."
Blake Griffin
Hates Barkley because: He has been very critical of the Clippers forward over the course of his NBA career.
Any chance of them making up? No. During an interview with GQ last year, Griffin said that he's "not a big fan" of Barkley. "As a kid, I was a huge fan," he said. "And then, after so many times of hearing somebody say something negative about you, then it's like, okay, this is like a thing—a personal thing…It's like the saying, 'Don't meet your heroes.' I haven't met him, but I don't really need to anymore. Which is unfortunate."
Peter Vecsey
Hates Barkley because: He has done some things that Vecsey hasn't agreed with, so the reporter has written some extremely harsh columns about him.
Any chance of them making up? No. Believe it or not, Vecsey was actually a part of the NBA on TNT team when Barkley first started. Barkley sat next to him the night that he made his debut. But they've taken shots at one another on numerous occasions in recent years (read this column or this tweet from Vecsey or listen to this interview from Barkley) and they clearly don't like each other very much.
Isiah Thomas
Hates Barkley because: He partied a lot during his playing days.
Any chance of them making up? Yes. "Hate" might a strong word here, but during the 2011 NBA lockout, Thomas took a few shots at Barkley while discussing the perception of NBA players. "There are more Tim Duncans than there are Marburys," he said. "When I played, a lot of people used Charles Barkley to represent the way we played and lived—hanging out late, drinking, doing whatever he wanted after a game. That's why he never became a champion because he didn't make the sacrifice a lot of NBA players made with their bodies to win a championship."
Bill Laimbeer
Hates Barkley because: He once sent Laimbeer a letter through a ball boy that said, "Dear Bill, Fuck you. Love, Charles Barkley," during the 1989-90 season.
Any chance of them making up? Yes. Both these guys were fierce competitors on the court and not afraid of confrontation. So it's not exactly a surprise that Barkley sent that letter to Laimbeer—or that Laimbeer responded by attacking Barkley. But we would assume they've both moved past it by now. We hope.
Rodney Harrison
Hates Barkley because: He made an appearance on NBC to discuss the NFL in 2012 and, for whatever reason, Harrison wasn't happy about it.
Any chance of them making up? Yes. Maybe Harrison was just having a bad day? Several Reddit users were quick to point out that he was "a massive dick" to Barkley during the show that they did together, but we don't have any reason to believe that they actually had beef.
Metta World Peace
Hates Barkley because: He referred to the 2012-13 Lakers team as "old."
Any chance of them making up? Yes. World Peace went for the jugular when he responded to Barkley on Twitter. "Charles Barkley never won so it is hard for him to understand what it takes to win," he wrote. But he later said, "I actually like Charles Barkley."
Phil Jackson
Hates Barkley because: He was particularly hard on the Knicks during a game in December. "The only thing the Knicks got going for them," he said, "is Philadelphia."
Any chance of them making up? Yes. It probably won't be anytime soon, though. Jackson responded to Barkley's comments by sending out a tweet about him. "Do I have to mute this game?" he asked. "Chuck just remember your fundamentals…key to [the triangle offense]." Barkley shot back a short time later on Inside the NBA. "I don't do any social media but he's too old to be tweeting," he said. "Phil's got sensitive in his old age."
Allen Iverson
Hates Barkley because: He said, "I can't stand that guy," when asked about A.I. in 1999. He was also very critical of him throughout his career.
Any chance of them making up? No. Even though Iverson's NBA career is over, Barkley still uses him as a cautionary tale. He brought him up while discussing the idea of athletes like Russell Wilson not being "black enough" a few months ago. "A.I. is a perfect example," Barkley said. "He's a guy who's a good kid, who's got so many people around him who are full of it, and he kept them on the payroll trying to be a good brother. That goes back to what I was telling you earlier about the article about Russell."
Keith Olbermann
Hates Barkley because: He is, in the ESPN host's opinion, "an idiot."
Any chance of them making up? No. If there's one thing Barkley hates, it's a media personality who takes a shot at him (see: Vecsey, Peter). So we imagine Olbermann is dead to him in light of what he said about Barkley's opinions on analytics recently.
Ed Davis
Hates Barkley because: He said he wasn't going to eat until the Lakers won a game this season after they started off the year 0-5.
Any chance of them making up? Yes. Even though Davis was understandably upset with what Barkley said—"Charles your fat a$$ can eat now," he wrote on Twitter after the Lakers won to move to 1-5 on the season—he has to be over it by now.
John Carlos
Hates Barkley because: He referred to some of the people who rioted in Ferguson, Mo. during protests last year as "scumbags."
Any chance of them making up? No. Barkley has refused to back down from his comments, and they didn't sit well with Carlos, who made history by raising one of his fists on the podium during the 1968 Olympic Games. "If you don't have anything good to say, you should keep your mouth shut," Carlos said after hearing about Barkley's comments. "I don't know where Mr. Barkley gets his reports. He's a basketball commentator. It's not like he's in the legal field. He shouldn't be saying derogatory things."
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade
Hate Barkley because: He was very critical of both players during their time with the Heat.
Any chance of them making up? Yes. Don't expect to see them all hanging out anytime soon, but LeBron and D-Wade are both used to being criticized by everyone at this point. So they probably haven't lost any sleep over anything that Barkley said about them a few years ago.
Just About Every Single Person on Twitter
Hate Barkley because: He's Charles Barkley.
Any chance of them making up? No. And it's not hard to see why: