After LeBron James, Stephen A. Smith has found himself in another heated back-and-forth—this time with NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. It began on October 10, 2025, on All The Smoke’s podcast, when Barkley quipped about Smith’s media ubiquity. “I was in the studio last night and I saw he was going to be on ‘Law & Order’ tonight, I mean, he is already on ‘General Hospital,’ now he is going to be on ‘Law & Order’ tonight, and I was just laughing. I was like, ‘Yo man, you are starting to be too much right now.’” Barkley said. And just like that, things got spicy.

Barkley escalated the critique, warning: “Yo man, knock it off. Stop being on every TV show because at some point, people are going to get sick of you, and you are going to be like, ‘Yeah, I probably did too much.’ But once you do too much, it’s too late and people don’t take you serious, and I think he’s got to be careful in that aspect.” Naturally, the comments made waves—Smith didn’t just sit back. He fired back by calling Barkley a “hypocrite,” a move that stirred the pot even more.

On his April 20, Hoop Streams podcast, ex‑ESPNer Dan Dakich weighed in. The former ESPN reporter finally addressed the drama and actually had praise for how Smith handled the criticism. “You can be friends and you can disagree, and I think that’s good,” Dakich shared. “I think the way Stephen A. Smith handled that was really good. I do. He called him a flaming hypocrite because he was defending himself.”

Dakich insisted that Barkley and Smith remain close friends. “They’re buddies. Both of them said the same thing. Hey, that’s my guy,” he revealed. For Dakich, outsiders mostly created the real drama. “People act like because you disagree… you’re supposed to hate each other.”

Wrapping it up, Dakich had the final word for those reading too much into it: “They’re dudes. Dudes hang out, Dudes argue, Dudes get mad, Dudes call each other.” But now, let’s explore why Smith called Barkley a “hypocrite.”

Stephen A. points out Charles Barkley’s double standards

Stephen A. Smith didn’t waste any time responding to Charles Barkley’s critique. He addressed the comments head-on during his own podcast and didn’t sugarcoat it. “That’s my guy, but that doesn’t mean I always agree with him. And it doesn’t mean that I’m devoid of the right to call him a flaming hypocrite when it’s called upon,” Smith said. His tone stayed respectful, but the message? Loud and clear.

Smith then flipped the script. Barkley accused him of being “on every TV show,” but Smith was quick to turn the mirror around. “Do y’all know how many commercials Charles Barkley does a year? He’ll tell us two. Have you seen Charles Barkley in two commercials? Are you kidding me?” It was a jab backed by real-life visibility—Chuck is everywhere, highlighting that Barkley appears in 10+ national spots annually, ranging from Nike to O’Reilly Auto Parts

Smith broadened his retort by highlighting Shaq’s endorsements. “Oh, by the way, the cat that you work with at least twice a week during the NBA season is Shaquille O’Neal,” he pointed out. “Can we count the amount of endorsements he has? How often he’s seen everywhere? What new product he’s pitching?” Smith noted Shaq’s 20+ endorsement deals—from Reebok to Ring doorbells—and frequent appearances on media and infomercials. “Did you say that about him? No, you didn’t,” Smith quipped.

Despite the sharp tone, Smith emphasized respect by echoing his “I love you, bro” preamble. By calling out Barkley—and by extension Shaq—Smith pointed out that Barkley must really be consistent in his criticism instead of picking favorites. But having seen the two squabble in the past, this might simmer down before it ever blows up.