On Wednesday, May 21, 2025, the NBA on TNT crew was ready for the Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Eastern Conference match. Charles Barkley grabbed the spotlight with his comments, including a moment where he didn’t realize he was still on air.
Before the game started, Chuck praised a player he believed deserved more recognition. He suggested that Pascal Siakam, not Tyrese Haliburton, was the driving force behind the Pacers’ impressive playoff performance.
Chuck expressed, “I like Haliburton, but I think the only reason the Pacers are here is Siakam. I think he’s the most underrated player in the NBA. He’s the best player on their team…But he’s the most underrated player in the NBA. And me and Draymond were talking, he’s one of the few players in the NBA who you can never run a play for, and he gets you 26. His ability is just, he’s so sleek.”
Siakam got his flowers, but the celebration didnât last long. Moments later, Barkley shifted gears to another pet peeve: Lu Dort being snubbedâagainâfrom the NBAâs All-Defensive teams. And this time, Chuck really let it fly.
âThose guys who vote on that donât know what the f*** theyâre doing,” Barkley saidâclearly thinking the show had already cut to commercial.
Spoiler alert: it had not.
TNT didnât mute the mics in time, and Barkleyâs unfiltered opinion hit live TV in all its glory. Naturally, the internet had a field day.
âCharles Barkley dropping the f bomb as Inside the NBA goes to commercial ðððððð,â one fan posted.
âCharles Barkley dropping the F bomb right before commercial break lmao,â chimed in another.
âCharles Barkley thought they went to commercial and dropped an F bomb on live TV lmaoooo Chuck was referring to Lu Dort never making an All-Defensive team,â added a third.
From the looks of it, Barkley and co-host Ernie Johnson likely assumed their mics were cold. Johnson didnât even flinch when Barkley let it rip, which usually means one thingâthey thought they were off the clock.
And while Chuckâs hot mic moment was clearly unintended, it wouldnât be NBA on TNT without a little chaos. After all, this is the same show where an Emmy-winning broadcast can pivot from basketball breakdowns to bleep-worthy bloopers in the blink of an eye.
Pascal Siakam might be underrated, but Charles Barkley going full uncensored on live TV? Now that’s something you don’t see every day.
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