Charles Barkley reacts in disbelief over Chicago Bulls' new Ring of Honor ceremony: "Can't wait to go to this"
NBA legend Charles Barkley expressed willingness to go to the Chicago Bulls' Ring of Honor ceremony when they honor the main men of their 1990s dynasty. But while he wants to see Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson get honored rings, Barkley has some concerns about its timing.
On the "Dan Patrick Show," Barkley expressed his curiosity as to why the Bulls would put up such an event at a time when they are struggling.
"First of all, the Bulls are an embarrassment to the NBA," Barkley said. "I have zero idea what they're doing. They should have had a clearance sale, like, three years ago. I'm trying to figure out when they're gonna start to rebuild."
Speculations have surfaced recently on how the Chicago Bulls would begin their rebuilding, which could start by trading away Zach Lavine.
Despite the situation the current Bulls lineup is in, Charles Barkley said that he still wants to show up in the Ring of Honor ceremony, which is scheduled for Jan. 12, when Steve Kerr, a key player of the Bulls' second three-peat, will be in town with his Golden State Warriors.
Barkley, who once worked with Kerr on TNT broadcasts, added:
"You talk about weirdest, uncomfortable ... that 'uncomfortable' won't do it justice. First of all, nobody's gonna watch the Warriors or the Bulls. Let's get that out of the way. Everybody is gonna have their cameras focused on those guys. I can't wait to go to this."
Charles Barkley prefers Chicago Bulls legends' statues over Rings of Honor
Charles Barkley said that he would rather prefer having more former Chicago Bulls stars get their statues outside the United Center than just get Ring of Honor recognition.
"Don't they have a statute out front? I think you'd rather have a statue than be in a Ring of Honor," Barkley said.
Currently, only Michael Jordan has a statue at the United Center among the Chicago Bulls legends, which is joined by those of Chicago Blackhawks' former superstars Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita.
As it stands, the game between the Warriors and the Bulls, which falls on a Friday night, will not be shown on national television.
However, with the significance of the halftime show plus the fact that the Detroit Pistons, who are scheduled to host the Houston Rockets on the same night, have been dragged down to the bottom of the standings following a winless November, do not be surprised if ESPN gives the Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls some national TV airtime.