Charles Barkley on Criticizing Kobe Bryant: “He Called Me From One O’Clock in the Morning to Four O’Clock in the Morning, Cursing Me Out Like a Dog”

Many regard Kobe Bryant as one of the greatest of all time. Some have admired him for his consistency and Mamba mentality, while others have loved him for his loyalty to the Lakers. However, everyone liked him for his ‘never give up’ attitude.

There have been instances, nevertheless, where he was blamed by his critics for being ‘selfish’ and not performing to his standards.

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is now a TV analyst and has done many shows since his retirement. Barkley once criticized Bryant on live TV.

Barkley called out Kobe Bryant for not taking any shots in a game against the Phoenix Suns during the second half. He also added that Bryant was trying to prove a point of having no help from his Lakers teammates. This remark certainly didn’t go down well with Bryant. ‘Chuck’ has now revealed that the superstar had called him for three straight hours after he criticized him.

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Charles Barkley reveals that Kobe Bryant called him for three hours in the morning after his criticism

Barkley recently appeared on ‘The Pat McAfee Show‘ and talked about his career, the GOAT debate, and Kobe Bryant, among other things. During the interview, he also revealed that the Lakers superstar kept calling him from 1 am to 4 am after his brutal criticism.

“One night against the Phoenix Suns when he didn’t take any shots in the second half. We had that game on TNT and I went off on him out to the game saying, ‘Kobe. I’ve always liked you. But what you did tonight was bogus. You didn’t take a shot in the second half. You were trying to prove a point you didn’t have any help’,” Barkley said.

“He called me from one o’clock in the morning to four o’clock in the morning, cursing me out like a dog,” he added.

The game Barkley is talking about is Lakers versus Suns in the 1st round of the 2006 Western Conference playoffs. The Lakers faced the Suns in the 1st round of the playoffs in 2006 and were 3-3 with the last game to be played. Los Angeles Lakers got a home advantage in the final game but despite that, they lost 121-90 and crashed out of the playoffs.

Kobe Bryant was in top form at that time and had scored 50 points in the previous game itself. However, in that game, Bryant took only 3 shots in the entirety of the 2nd half. The Lakers were 3-1 up and lost the series 3-4 in the end and became the 8th NBA team to lose a series from that point.

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