"Shut the hell up" - Charles Barkley brutally disses Kendrick Perkins, says he "won't stoop to his level"
Before Team USA captured its fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it nearly got upset by Serbia, garnering criticism from Charles Barkley. One-time NBA champion Kendrick Perkins promptly blasted the NBA legend's take, but according to Barkley, Perkins isn't worth his time.
While the U.S. went 6-0 this summer, it faced considerable adversity during Thursday's semifinal matchup against Serbia. After falling behind by 17 points in the first half, it entered the fourth quarter in a 13-point deficit.
However, the Americans, led by superstar guard Steph Curry's game-high 36 points, rallied, outscoring the Serbians 32-15 in the final period to win 95-91.
Nevertheless, on ESPN Radio on Friday, Charles Barkley called out U.S. coach Steve Kerr's rotations. He noted that Team USA should regularly coast to victory, given its immense talent advantage over every other country.
"They shouldn’t be tested," Barkley said. "They should win. They've got the best team. They haven’t used their depth the right way because the one advantage we had in '92 – and they still have today – is when they go to the bench, they’re bringing in better players. [Kerr] has not used this team properly."
Perkins quickly pushed back on Barkley's take on ESPN's "First Take," citing the world's continual improvement.
"This was just an asinine way of talking about Team USA and what’s been going on, as far as them representing our country," Perkins said. "Look, this team has been balling, and they’re gonna get battle-tested. The game has become global. You've got Europeans, they’re starting to catch — they have caught up with us."
Despite Barkley's concerns, Team USA prevailed, defeating France 98-87 in Saturday's gold-medal matchup. A few days later, Barkley was asked about Perkins' comments during a Tuesday appearance on "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz."
However, Barkley completely dismissed Perkins, referencing his career stats.
"First of all, listen, don't bring up a guy who averaged five points a game," Barkley said. "I'm not gonna stoop to his level. You average five points a game, shut the hell up."
Charles Barkley seemingly did his homework on Kendrick Perkins
Charles Barkley appeared well-prepared to clap back at Kendrick Perkins, as he was virtually spot on regarding the big man's career scoring average.
Over 14 seasons, Perkins averaged 5.4 points per game. Conversely, Barkley averaged 22.1 ppg over 16 seasons. He also accumulated numerous more accolades, most notably making 11 All-Star teams and 11 All-NBA teams and winning an MVP award. Meanwhile, Perkins never came close to being named an All-Star.
Perkins only has Barkley beat in the championship department, boasting a 1-0 edge. However, the former provided limited production as a starter on the Boston Celtics' 2008 title team.
So, if Barkley is basing the merit of former NBA players' opinions on their careers, Perkins will likely have a tough time refuting the Hall of Famer.
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