San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama’s stock is rising daily, courtesy of his impact on the glass. The 7-foot-4-inch French juggernaut might be entangled in a fight for the MVP rankings and may even turn out to be the youngest to ever win the prestigious award at just 22 years of age, but that still doesn’t convince Charles Barkley about him being the face of the NBA in the future.

“Everybody talks about Victor Wembanyama; he’s going to be the face of the league. First of all, he’s not going to be the face of the league; you have to take it. can’t give it to people. You should want it; they can’t give it to you. I hear guys talking about who we think should be the face of the league. You can’t give somebody the face of the league; you take it,” said Chuck in his inimitable style.

Ever since being drafted into the NBA, Wembanyama has been doing amazing things. They say the sky is the limit, and his capabilities certainly aim in that direction. Take a look at this season and how he is growing as a player – 23.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. With 2.8 blocks, his defensive abilities have also put him among the very best, but he has also missed 13 regular-season games, so whether he will ultimately win the MVP award is still not certain under the current circumstances.

But the young Frenchman has a long road ahead of him, and that is good. Charles Barkley feels there’s too much hype around Victor and that needs to be checked. A veteran of the game, Barkley knows that sustained greatness is more important than any media narrative.

Wembanyama has yet to win an NBA championship, which is a stepping stone to greatness, and he is still quite green in terms of NBA experience. Three years isn’t enough to gauge any player’s talents and make him the poster boy for the sport. Hence, it would be a premature crowning at best.

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Climbing to the top is one thing, but holding onto it is what defines you, and that is what made Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James great, and that is also the route Wembanyama will have to take if he has to win over Charles to his side.

Well, it was not just Wembanyama who found himself on Charles Barkley’s firing line, but two other basketball superstars have also caught Barkley’s attention, but for the wrong reasons.

Charles Barkley Blames Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson For Ruining the Traditional Style of the NBA

Charles Barkley isn’t known for sugarcoating words. Whatever he feels, he says bluntly, and this time around, he has a bone to pick with none other than Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. His grudge with Curry and  Thompson is with the fact that they are allegedly misleading the players to think they, too, can do what they do – hit 3 pointers with perfection.

“It’s not the point that it’s a three-point shooting contest. It’s that everybody’s shooting threes. The notion that everybody’s a good three-point shooter is ridiculous and stupid. Guys are going on a fast break, and instead of taking a layup, they’re flaring out to shoot a three. I’m like, yo, man, you had a layup. It’s all right to shoot a layup every now and then.”

“Steph Curry and Klay Thompson ruined the NBA because everybody thinks they’re Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Y’all are not them. Stop jacking up threes,” says Barkley in disgust.

Now it is hard to replicate what Thompson (41%) and Curry(42%) do on the glass. The duo known as the Splash Brothers has an insane statistic when it comes to hitting 3’s, making it look effortless, but not everyone can replicate it.

Barkley feels the players choose to follow rather than play to their strengths, focusing on layups if that is their strength. Over the years NBA has seen a sharp increase in 3-point statistics, right from 14.7 in 2000-01 to  37.0 this season, and that is happening because the players are trying to be flashy in place of being productive

Now that would have been fine had the shots landed, but the accuracy over the years has still remained at an unchanged 35 percent bracket, which is doing no favors whatsoever

Charles Barkley, being an ardent admirer of the game and a player first, cannot ignore its consequences and has hence voiced his frustration. Now it remains to be seen whether the players pay heed to Chuck’s words or keep doing what they do, unbothered.