Charles Barkley Trolls Chet Holmgren’s Physique as OKC Star Walks Around Shirtless

Charles Barkley roasted Chet Holmgren for walking around shirtless.

Charles Barkley Trolls Chet Holmgren’s Physique as OKC Star Walks Around Shirtless

Charles Barkley on Chet Holmgren (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Chet Holmgren recorded 15 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks in the Thunder's overtime win against the Nuggets.
  • Charles Barkley criticized Holmgren for walking around shirtless, calling it a "bad look."
  • Barkley expressed concerns about the NBA's new media rights deal making it difficult for fans to find games.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren played an instrumental role as the Thunder took on the Denver Nuggets in a matchup between the two Western Conference contenders on Friday night. It was a thrilling match and one of the games of the 2025-26 campaign, as the defending champions came out on top with a 127-121 overtime win over the Nuggets.

It was a much-needed win for the Thunder, with the San Antonio Spurs closing in on them for the top seed. The win propelled their record to 46-15 as they remain at the top of the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Nuggets sit at fourth place in the standings with a 37-23 record. They are now tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently in fifth place.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made his return from injury after three weeks and scored a team-high 36 points to go along with nine assists. Chet Holmgren, who inked a five-year maximum rookie contract in the offseason, recorded another double-double this season as he recorded 15 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks in just under 38 minutes.

Charles Barkley and Inside the NBA show were back on Friday night. Barkley was in the headlines last month for criticizing ESPN over scheduling issues. The show has made multiple appearances on the network since.

Barkley, who is well known for his jokes and trolling on the show, was back at it once again after the Nuggets-Thunder clash. During an interview with Alex Caruso, Holmgren was seen shirtless walking past Caruso. Chuckstar did not waste any time in roasting Holmgren.

Tell Chet to put a shirt on. His body not good enough to be walking around chest free. That’s a really bad look I am not gonna lie.

Holmgren has a slender build for a center. His height, combined with that lean build, gives him an incredible wingspan and agility.

Charles Barkley believes Luka Doncic isn’t an MVP contender anymore

Since joining the Lakers at the trade deadline last year, Luka Doncic has been the focal point of this team as the Lakers’ front office prepares for life in the post-LeBron James era. The Slovenian leads the league in scoring and has helped the Los Angeles Lakers stay in the top-six in a highly competitive Western Conference standings.

However, the Lakers have struggled with their form since the turn of the year. Barkley believes Doncic should no longer be in the running for the regular-season MVP award.

Analysts have been questioning Luka Doncic's effort
Luka Doncic (Image via Barstool Sports/X)

We love Luka, take him off the list. That ship has sailed, okay? Let’s stop it, Ernie [Johnson]… The Lakers out here tanking right now. Adam Silver gotta fine them soon, because they just out here tanking… The Lakers lost to the Suns last night… They’re closer to the play-in than they are first place… Adam Silver just don’t have the courage to fine the Lakers.

Doncic is top-three for the MVP award alongside SGA and Nikola Jokic at the moment. He is currently averaging 32.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists.

Charles Barkley tears into new NBA media rights landscape

Watching the NBA in the United States has not been easy this season. The league’s new media rights deal sprinkles games throughout ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Amazon’s Prime Video.

Barkley made an appearance on Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser‘s show on ESPN and went on to say that people “don’t know” when games are on, and where.

It is so difficult for fans to find the games now. I think we’ve done a disservice to the fans and to the game. We’ve got to find a way to let the fans know. Because the fans are the backbone, and we want to support these networks. We’ve got to be very careful because we’ve got an 11-year deal, and it’s a team deal. The players are gonna be successful, but we want the networks to be successful also.

The new media rights deal, signed in July 2024, was inked for 11 years and $77 billion, and it kicked in this year. It remains to be seen if the NBA decide to make it easier for the fans in the future or if things continue in the same way.

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