Charles Barkley Quickly Back Tracks on Scorched Earth Lakers Rant After Warriors Get Destroyed

Charles Barkley says sorry to the Los Angeles Lakers for berating them after their loss to the Suns during Warriors game broadcast.

Charles Barkley Quickly Back Tracks on Scorched Earth Lakers Rant After Warriors Get Destroyed

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Charles Barkley apologized for his previous criticism of the Lakers after their win over the Warriors.
  • The Lakers improved to 35-24, maintaining sixth place in the Western Conference standings.
  • Barkley still doubts the Lakers' championship potential, calling them not a good team on Inside the NBA.

Former NBA star Charles Barkley never misses an opportunity to take shots at the Los Angeles Lakers. But this time, Barkley was seen apologizing for his criticism of the Lakers after their loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers snapped their three-match losing streak on Saturday night as they registered a convincing 129-101 victory over a shorthanded Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center.

It was a much needed win for the Lakers, who seem to be struggling for form since the turn of the year. The win improved their record to 35-24 as they remain at sixth place in the Western Conference standings and are now 1.5 games ahead of 11th place Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, the Warriors continue to struggle without Stephen Curry and remain in the play-in spots with a 31-29 record.

It has been a difficult period for the Lakers. They have gone 15-13 in 2026. Since joining the Lakers at the trade deadline last year, Luka Doncic has remained the focal point of this team. While Doncic leads the league in scoring and is in MVP contention, he has faced a lot of criticism for his on-court antics, which seems to be hurting the team more often than not.

Charles Barkley and Inside the NBA show were back once again on Saturday night. ‘The Chuckster’ was in the headlines last month for criticizing ESPN over scheduling issues. However, the show has made multiple appearances on the network since and will continue to do so with the playoffs approaching.

On Friday night, Barkley accused the Lakers of tanking after their last-second loss to a depleted Phoenix Suns. But on Saturday night, he had an apology for the Laker nation on Inside the NBA show.

I want to apologize to Laker nation. Y’all are contenders. Y’all are whooping the hell out of the Warriors. They won four championships and y’all making them look like they’re a G-league team… Y’all are serious contenders.

Charles Barkley said on Inside the NBA

While the Lakers did steamroll over the Warriors, it was a sarcastic apology from Chuck and generated laughs from the rest of the crew. It is clear Barkley still does not view the Lakers as championship contenders this year.

The Los Angeles Lakers are not a good team

Since Jimmy Butler‘s ACL tear, the Warriors have looked far from contenders. And with Curry still ruled out due to injury, it was always going to be a tall ask for the rest of the team to go up against the trio of Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

Barkley continued to talk about the Lakers as contenders on Inside the NBA.

I get sick of people talking about they’re contenders. The Lakers are not a good team. They’re not athletic, they’re not good defensively. I guess we’re contractually obligated to talk about them every day on our network now.

Charles Barkley said on Inside the NBA

In the end, it does not look like Barkley backtracked on his criticism of the Lakers on Friday night. The former MVP believes they are obligated to talk about the Lakers because it is a big market team with LeBron James in their roster.

Shaquille O’Neal did not hold back on Deandre Ayton

Drafted by the Phoenix Suns as the number one pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Deandre Ayton has struggled to cement his place as one of the best centers in the game. The 27-year-old center joined the Lakers in the offseason and has not performed to the mark. Recently, Ayton said the Lakers were trying to use him like Clint Capela.

Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton (Image credits – Los Angeles Times)

On Inside the NBA, former Lakers champion Shaquille O’Neal didn’t hold back on Ayton’s comments about Capela.

Clint Capela plays hard every game. You’re not gonna be on the same team with LeBron [James] and Luka [Doncic] and think you’re gonna get shots. I wish my career was this easy. He don’t play hard all the time.

Shaquille O’Neal via Inside the NBA

Currently in his eighth season in the NBA, Ayton is averaging 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in 51 appearances for the Lakers. The Lakers are scheduled to take on the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back-to-back on March 1 at the Crypto.com Arena. It remains to be seen if Ayton can end the season on a high and secure his future in LA.

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