TNT puts Charles Barkley and Kendrick Lamar on the same page in latest 'MUSTARDDDDDD' meme
Charles Barkley's iconic "GUARANTEED" meme continues to be a gift that keeps on giving. This time, the meme of Charles Barkley has been paired with a reference to a line from Kendrick Lamar's new album. The NBA on TNT account recently shared a meme on X, alongside a caption referencing a line from Lamar's latest track, "tv off," from his newly released GNX album, which dropped on Friday.
In the song, Kendrick Lamar gives a shout-out to DJ Mustard, loudly yelling out "MUSTARD!" over the Mustard-produced-beat. The shout-out quickly went viral, becoming a meme with fans, sports teams and brands all getting in on the joke. Now, NBA on TNT has joined in, using the meme in their latest post of Charles Barkley.
When Kendrick Lamar and Drake were beefing earlier this year, during the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs, Inside the NBA used one of Lamar's diss tracks as they came back from a commercial break. Because of that, some fans are hoping Charles Barkley might change up his signature "GUARANTEE!" to a "MUSTARD!" shout-out in honor of Kendrick's new track.
Tonight's NBA Cup action on TNT kicks off at 7:30 PM ET with a clash between the Bucks and Heat, followed by a West Group B game between the Lakers and Suns. Pregame coverage on TNT will begin 30 minutes before gametime.
Looking back at Charles Barkley's unamused reaction to Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef
During the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs, TNT's producers used Kendrick Lamar's Euphoria diss track as a transitionary song. Kenny 'The Jet' Smith and Shaquille O'Neal both immediately caught on and recognized the song being played.
Smith cracked a joke at producers, saying:
“What are you all putting us in the middle of the rap beef, man? Come on, man. You got Kendrick playing, we right in the middle of the rap beef! We in the middle of the rap beef man, we gon' play one side, we gotta play the other now."
Shaquille O'Neal let out a smile once he realized that the song was playing, but Charles Barkley, on the other hand, was pretty unamused by the situation. In the video, he could be heard saying:
"Rap beef. Grown a** men.”
While the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake appeared to be dead in the water, Drake filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Spotify on Tuesday, alleging that they inflated Lamar's streaming numbers on his diss track "Not Like Us."
Given Lamar's new album, GNX has been a major talking point among the NBA community over the past few days, it wouldn't be surprising to hear one of the songs on Inside the NBA tonight.