Charles Barkley has turn into probably the most common and well-liked sports activities media personalities throughout the NBA and sports activities usually in recent times. Most of that is because of him being a direct distinction to the fashionable cliche speaking head.
Barkley is trustworthy to a fault, by no means one to carry again his ideas on a participant, recreation, group or scenario. He presents a distinct kind of voice to the media panorama that, as a rule, is welcomed.
Nonetheless, as a nature of his unfiltered strategy, when he misses the mark, he actually misses the mark.
His criticisms of modern-day gamers are aplenty. For each occasion of a participant being maybe deservingly known as out for a foul recreation, there’s an instance of Barkley taking the position of the outdated veteran being petty or jealous of gamers within the league as we speak. Typically, it’s huge males who come beneath hearth. Gamers like Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and Rudy Gobert are frequent targets of those often-unfair critiques.
On Wednesday, Barkley appeared on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” to speak a complete host of issues, finally touchdown on the subject of Caitlin Clark and the WNBA towards the tip of his dialogue.
By no means one to have a half-hearted thought on a matter, Barkley unleashed on the WNBA for a way badly he feels it mishandled Clark’s integration into the league.
“These women, and I’m a WNBA fan, they cannot have f—— this Caitlin Clark factor up any worse in the event that they tried. When you received individuals in a room — in case you received a bunch of dudes in a room and mentioned ‘Let’s f— up the WNBA,’ we couldn’t of got here up with a grasp plan that these ladies have performed. This woman is unbelievable. What she did in faculty for girls’s basketball, what she’s doing within the WNBA… the variety of eyeballs she’s introduced to school and the professionals, for these ladies to have this petty jealousness, you mentioned it your self, ‘Rattling, what’s going on right here?’”
Geez, Charles. You’re so near the precise level right here. You simply don’t understand it.
Might you think about having veterans who helped construct a recreation harshly criticizing younger gamers coming into the league? Not giving them the credit score they deserve? Coming throughout as petty and jealous?
Certainly that kind of factor wouldn’t occur within the NBA.
A part of the irony of Barkley’s feedback — and there are a number of layers of irony — is he spent the phase earlier than speaking in regards to the should be goal and never let private emotions get in the best way as a commentator.
Barkley is many issues, however goal just isn’t considered one of them. It’s a part of what has made him common.
Caitlin Clark’s integration into the WNBA has not been a seamless one. Regardless of bringing a stage of consideration and notoriety to the WNBA the league has by no means seen, she has not been a universally beloved figure in women’s basketball or the WNBA.
Nor ought to that be any sort of expectation. You don’t have to love Caitlin Clark. You in all probability ought to acknowledge what she’s performed for the sport, however outdoors of that, really feel no matter you need to really feel about her, proper or mistaken.
And even when there are gamers or coaches or former gamers or media personalities or whoever who could not like her, it has, on no account, messed something up for the league. In truth, it’s laborious to actually even know what Barkley is referencing, particularly contemplating he didn’t give any kind of specifics.
Is he referencing Sheryl Swoopes, who has come beneath growing scrutiny for her ongoing unwillingness to give Caitlin Clark her simply due? Or he might be referencing the five flagrant fouls Clark has been on the receiving finish of this season?
Neither occasion has seemingly performed something to detract from Clark’s accomplishments and the W’s development, if both of them is even what Barkley is referencing.
The league simply inked — in the words of WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert — a “monumental” TV deal this summer season, one that may pay out $2.2 billion over the subsequent 11 years. There are more eyes than ever on the product, whether or not that’s measured in TV viewers or social media impressions or something in between. Swoopes, laborious fouls or no matter else Barkley is referring to hasn’t “f—– up’ the WNBA.
The league is shifting ahead at a speedy charge and Caitlin Clark is considered one of many gamers main the best way. The implication that she is the only motive for that success, or that the league is mishandling her ultimately, is simply wildly incorrect.
The league has put Clark entrance and heart — in all probability an excessive amount of at occasions, and certainly so at the beginning of the season — to instantly make her a face of the league, whether or not it was on nationwide TV video games or by selling her and the Fever from the soar this season. They wager on her being a star and when that hit, they’re now reaping the rewards.
Extra persons are speaking in regards to the WNBA than ever earlier than to associate with the elevated consideration coming their approach. Is that mishandling the scenario?
There was a complete Olympics roster of girls that didn’t embody Caitlin Clark who deserve reward and credit score for pushing the league ahead, too.
And even when there are some loud veterans or former gamers not welcoming Clark into the league with open arms, that’s not one thing distinctive to the WNBA.
When Lonzo Ball, who, like Clark, entered the NBA as a high choose and highly-touted prospect, debuted for the Lakers in 2017, he was met by Patrick Beverley, who welcomed the guard to the league with plenty of physicality in his debut. The conversations then had been merely about Lonzo getting his “Welcome to the NBA” second and little extra.
There shouldn’t be an expectation of gamers welcoming rookies to the league. This can be a aggressive sport that includes the highest athletes on the planet at their craft. They’re going to drive a participant like Clark to show she’s worthy of all of the credit score and reward, and she eventually did just that.
Charles Barkley, of all individuals, shouldn’t be the one chastising individuals for not welcoming a brand new crop of gamers with open arms. On this similar podcast the place he criticized the WNBA’s dealing with of Clark’s debut marketing campaign, he additionally spent an enormous chunk of time complaining about NBA gamers over load administration, and lamenting how a lot simpler they’ve it than his technology did.
In the end, Barkley is shut to creating an excellent level about how pettiness and jealousy can take away from one thing particular. He simply doesn’t notice he’s speaking to himself, too.
You may comply with Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
