Charles Barkley roasts co-host in his first ever minute on Inside the NBA for calling him fat - "He'll always still be ugly"
Charles Barkley has had a great NBA career to boast, but his post-playing days as a basketball analyst are arguably just as successful.
Today, the 11-time NBA All-Star is often seen on television with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal hosting 'Inside the NBA'. Barkley has been working with TNT for the past 23 years and we recall the first time he was presented on the show as a new host.
On October 30, 2000, Barkley made his debut on 'Inside the NBA' along with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and sports columnist Peter Vescey. Upon introducing Barkley, the TNT crew flashed what Vescey said about the former league MVP.
"How screwed up is this world? Just ask Charles Barkley, looking very much these days like Richard Jewel's body double"
In just his first minute on the show, he spoke about what Vescey said and had an hilarious response:
"You know Peter, I told him, 'I'm gaining weight. I can lose weight and he is always going to be ugly'. There is a difference between being fat and ugly. A fat person can lose weight an ugly person is always going to be ugly. Don't forget that"
Kenny Smith jokingly interfered that the reason Barkley and Vescey were seated apart from each other was to prevent a fight. The newly-retired Barkley had another quick and funny response.
"I'm not going to jump on him on TV cause I have a witness," said Barkley. "If I'm going to beat him up, it will be in a dark alley one night."
WATCH: Charles Barkley makes his debut on Inside the NBA
Charles Barkley doesn't want to work till he's 70 years old
60-year-old Charles Barkley has been a staple of 'Inside the NBA' for the past 23 years. Entering the 2023-24 NBA season, he signed a new contract with Warner Brothers Discovery extending him to be on television for the next ten years.
According to a report by Sports Illustrated, he doesn't plan to finish the contract and Warner Brothers Discovery doesn't want people think he has any plans of retiring soon.
“Well, yes. But they [WBD] wanted me to let people know I wasn't leaving, like, next week. There's no chance in hell I'm gonna be working when I'm 70. Zero."
For now, Charles Barkley is still part of WBD and fans appreciate him for staying on as much as he can on television even knowing that he may retire very soon.