Shaquille O’Neal & TNT Thrashed for Tormenting Kyrie Irving As NBA Legend Demands Apology

The Inside Guys toed a fine line between tough love and criticism when it came to Kyrie Irving. Most of it was unseen when Finals-bound Irving appeared on Inside the NBA. Early in the series, Charles Barkley didn’t think Dallas would win nor was he sure Irving could make it to the finals after the recent years. Kenny Smith was critical of his time before Dallas. Shaquille O’Neal blatantly called him an ‘idiot’ on live TV. A lot of Irving’s supporters have been on Chuck&Co’s case for discounting Kyrie. One of them is Charles Oakley who had sharp words for the Inside Guys.

“Y’all get on TV and talk down on a young man who always does what’s best for him and his family.. then have him on and not apologize to him. Give the young man his flowers for being a great baller great teammate more importantly always being himself! [sic]” he wrote on his Instagram Stories over a screengrab of Irving with the TNT crew.

Since his 2016 championship and leaving Cleveland, Irving has struggled. His stops before Dallas were controversial and disappointing. During that time Kenny and Chuck were most critical of him. Not only them, but even Stephen A. Smith was critical of him. In the playoffs, both dug up the past but sort of rewrote history.

“He [Irving] self-inflicted himself. He gotta take some responsibility. I think he is grown up. I think he is matured. Stephen A. and other people criticized him. He rightly deserved it. You can’t go out there and be anti-Semitic… He deserved the criticism he got, he deserved the suspension he got, but a basketball player, I think he is really grown up,” Barkley said on the show.

Kenny also stated that he called Smith to scold him for his criticism of Irving in the past. He, however, glossed over his own statements that were similar to Smith’s. The league and Irving moved on from that debacle before TNT abruptly brought it up. Fans didn’t appreciate Chuck rehashing the comments. They have their fingers crossed that Kyrie wins a ring to shut up his biggest critics.

Charles vs Charles

Oakley isn’t merely critical of TNT’s handling of Kyrie Irving’s situation. In the Sixers-Knicks series, Philly legend, Barkley took on New York City as a whole, ripping into fans with hilarious threats if New Yorkers showed up on his turf. Oakley, who has beef with Knicks ownership but loves his team, slapped Chuck with a reminder when he was whooped by the Knicks more than once.

As he proved, Knicks nation has a knack for reacting. While the New York slander might have been playful, Oakley is serious about the Irving situation. He and a lot of fans either want TNT to make it right by him or they want Irving to make them look bad.

He gets this chance as the Dallas Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. If Shaq, Chuck, and Kenny will be changing their opinions soon, we’ll have to wait and see.