Charles Barkley has no problem putting the players on notice if they disrespect the game. On Sunday night, the NBA had two and a half billion dollars of combined salary sitting on the bench. That’s why the legend turned analyst lashed out, but only a few players escaped the wrath.
On the last Inside the NBA of the regular season, Chuck called out the players who have been sitting out. “You rest, Wemby, maybe. You rest Joker, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon. You rest LeBron because he’s 102 years old. All these dudes sitting out, it’s just disrespectful,” said Barkley. There is a reason why these players got a pass over the others.
Wembanyama was sitting out due to a left rib soreness issue as he missed the final regular-season game against the Nuggets. It’s the injury he suffered against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 6, and he exited the game with just 15 minutes under his belt. The Spurs star missed the subsequent game against Portland but suited up in the second-to-last game to preserve his eligibility for the 65-game rule. Similarly, Nikola Jokic had a hyper-extended left knee injury, which put him on the sidelines for 16 games.
Charles Barkley calls out all the players who have been sitting out the final 2 regular season games:
“You rest Wemby, maybe. You rest Joker and Jamal Murray. You rest LeBron because he’s 102 years old. All these dudes sitting out its just disrespectful” pic.twitter.com/IiMDQbynwC
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) April 12, 2026
But he suited up in the final encounter, as he truly is a top-two contender in the MVP race. Similarly, teammates Gordon and Murray are an important wheel of the cog for the Nuggets, so their postseason availability matters. Even Lakers star LeBron James is an apparent exception as he is now leading the Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves-less Purple and Gold, despite being 41 years old. In fact, the 22x All-Star was even suited for the final game, giving fans their money’s worth. The players’ resting issue has stemmed again due to the NBA’s 65-game rule.
“I don’t think 65 games is a lot to ask. Shut the hell up. Y’all vote in the collective bargaining, and now you want to complain. If Y’all wasn’t sitting on your a– half the time sipping margaritas and stuff, they wouldn’t put the 65 games in there. Shut the hell up!” Once again, Charles Barkley was not happy with the NBA stars sighting load management as an excuse to not feature in games.
It’s not just individual players who seem to need rest for recovery. The franchises are putting the bulk of the players on the bench. 13 of 30 teams had 7 or more players listed as out. Just hours before the tip-off in the West, Associated Press reporter Tim Reynolds tweeted that, ” There are 195 players ruled out tonight for NBA games.”
Since the teams that have secured postseason qualification, the stakes are not high for them. So they rest their starters to avoid any potential injury and risk for the playoffs. Similarly, for the teams that are tanking, there is no incentive to play. But Charles Barkley, who had surpassed the 65-game threshold in 13 of the 16 NBA seasons, made sure to send a message to the league as well.
Charles Barkley wants to put the tanking problem to an end
Remember the 13 teams that have rested 7 or more stars; half of them are those who have no postseason plans. Nets, Pacers, Bucks, Wizards, Bulls, Pelicans, Kings, Jazz were the teams that are looking for better odds at the lottery by losing the final game. So, Chuck blasted the NBA’s weighted system, calling it “stupid crap” before suggesting the alternative.
“I’ve been saying this for years. Teams been just tanking for three months. Every team that does not make the playoffs should get one ball. You can’t improve your chances of losing. Every team gets one ball. That would be the fair way to do it.” Charles Barkley believes every non-playoff team should have an equal chance of landing the top pick to stop tanking. The NBA has tried various methods to stop incentivizing the teams to finish dead last.
In 2019, the lottery was altered so that the teams with the three worst records would have equal odds. In fact, Barkley also reiterated his longtime stance, which affects the franchise ownership directly. “if you finish below .500, you should not be able to raise your ticket prices.” With the methods suggested, it doesn’t seem Adam Silver will go this route.
