Stephen A. Smith Calls Charles Barkley a “Burning Hypocrite”

Well-known ESPN figure Stephen A. Smith doesn’t shy away from controversy, and his latest comments directed at Charles Barkley are no exception. Smith labeled Barkley a “burning hypocrite” following the former NBA star’s critique of Smith’s media presence, which some might say is, well, pretty extensive these days.

It’s quite hard to miss Smith—he’s made appearances on shows such as *Law and Order* and even had a moment on the daytime soap *General Hospital*. Still, it seems he didn’t take too kindly to Barkley’s advice. On a recent episode of *The Stephen A. Smith Show*, he took a moment to address Barkley directly, referring to him as “brother” and recognizing him as “authentic as it gets.”

Smith expressed, “It’s my man, but I don’t always have to agree with him. I think when necessary, it’s fine to call him a burning hypocrite. Have you seen the commercials Charles Barkley does in a year? He says he does two—have you actually spotted him in any?”

He continued, questioning Barkley’s visibility and endorsements, “Can you count how much support he actually gets? Is he even paying attention to these things? What new products is he promoting? Did you say anything about that? No? But I have to tread lightly.”

There’s definitely a case to be made that Smith may have overexerted himself in front of viewers. He didn’t shy away from provoking thoughts on how his presence might connect to ESPN’s broader conversations about personalities running for political office.

At the same time, while Smith aimed his remarks at Barkley, he also took a moment to acknowledge the successes of his colleague as *Inside the NBA* prepares to transition to ESPN next season. “Charles Barkley, you’re doing great work at TNT, and I’m sure next year, you’ll bring that to ESPN,” Smith noted. “Now let Shaq do his thing, because no one can do it better than him.”