Kenny Smith walked off the “Inside the NBA” set in the middle of a TNT broadcast last month in solidarity with protesting players, and the act was well-received by many. Smith’s colleague Charles Barkley did not appreciate it, however.
During an appearance on The Ringer’s “Winging it with Vince Carter” podcast this week, Barkley said he was upset with Smith when he walked off. Barkley had no problem with the act itself, but he thought it was wrong that Smith did not give his colleagues advanced notice.
“I was pi-sed at Kenny. Because I didn’t think he should’ve walked off. He should’ve told us in advance,” Barkley said, via Ryan Gaydos of FOX News. “Because I had just said that it was bogus what the Milwaukee Bucks just did to the Orlando Magic. They didn’t tell them. And then like 30 seconds later, he did the exact same thing.
“I had no problem with him walking off. He should’ve told us so we could’ve prepared. The show was like, ‘Uh-oh.’”
You can see the video of Smith walking off the TNT set here.
The Bucks refused to play their game on Aug. 26 after Jacob Blake was shot by police. Barkley was critical of them for making that decision without informing their opponent, the Magic. He felt what Smith did during the “Inside the NBA” broadcast was similar.
Barkley has never been afraid to speak his mind no matter what the circumstances. We saw another example of that this week when he shared his thoughts on the Breonna Taylor case.
