Stephen A Smith Catches Strays Once Again as Charles Barkley Relives “Horrible” Incident on MLB Live

You thought Charles Barkley’s golf swing was the peak of sports comedy? Just wait until you see him throw a baseball. To be fair, no one can expect even a Hall of Famer to excel at every sport. About a decade ago, Barkley joined the long list of celebrities invited to toss a ceremonial first pitch, a moment meant to be lighthearted and celebratory. Unfortunately for him, the throw didn’t exactly inspire confidence in his baseball potential. Still, Barkley isn’t one to shy away from a moment like this—he’s more than ready to defend himself.

When Charles Barkley first stepped into the NBA, it was with the Philadelphia 76ers, and over the years, he’s grown a genuine fondness for the city, right down to its baseball team. Despite being an Alabama native, he’s a loyal Philly supporter and keeps a close eye on their ups and downs. The only problem? All that watching didn’t exactly translate into learning how to play the game himself.

Charles Barkley recently popped up on MLB Tonight: Crossover Edition, and the crew wasted no time in hitting him with a little trip down memory lane. Their welcome gift? A throwback clip of him tossing the ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game in Wrigley Field back in 2014. And—shockingly—Sir Charles didn’t exactly nail the strike zone. The commentators at the time called it “terrible,” and the video even shows Barkley throwing both hands on his head immediately afterward. That’s the universal sign for, “Wow, I really messed that up,” no matter the sport. Still, Barkley was laughing then, and he’s laughing now.

His very first reaction while rewatching the clip? “Let me tell you something, I hate y’all so much right now.” Classic Charles Barkley. The hosts didn’t waste a second before declaring, “That was horrible.” Then, in true Chuck fashion, he defended himself by tossing his good buddy Stephen A. Smith straight under the bus: “You know. I got all this advice from different guys. They’re like, ‘Chuck, you can’t throw it high enough. You can’t throw it high enough.’ And before you know it, everybody throw it in the ground because it looks like you’re coming down. But you’re really supposed to throw it up. Mine wasn’t as bad as Stephen A. Smith, though. Let’s get that out the way.” Somewhere out there, Stephen A. probably just added “work on my pitch” to his to-do list.

Stephen A. Smith has made a living at ESPN picking apart other people’s performances, but in 2023, the tables turned. Before a Yankees vs. Blue Jays game, he stepped up for the ceremonial first pitch… and promptly bounced it about four feet short of the plate. Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka saved it from disaster, but the damage was done. It wasn’t quite 50 Cent-level bad, but still prime roasting material. And of course, Stephen A. wasn’t going to miss a chance to clown himself, telling the booth in the second inning, “I was disgusted with myself, man.”

Charles Barkley keeps it light while poking fun at Stephen A. Smith

Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith have the kind of friendship where roasting each other is basically a love language. Back in 2023, when ESPN and TNT teamed up for a crossover show during the NBA In-Season Tournament, Barkley wasted no time setting the tone. As Stephen A. walked onto the Inside the NBA set, Chuck hit him with, “Hey, this ain’t First Take. This gon’ be the first a– whooping you take.” He even told him to leave “all that loud-a– talking” at the door—a classic Barkley warm welcome.

Fast-forward to earlier this year, and Barkley’s jabs were aimed at Stephen A.’s omnipresence in the media. Appearing on Outkick’s Don’t @ Me, he joked that Smith was everywhere, from First Take to General Hospital to Law & Order. “Yo, man, you’re starting to be too much right now… At some point, people are going to get sick of you,” Barkley said, adding that he preferred a “less is more” approach. Stephen A., of course, fired back on The Stephen A. Smith Show, calling Barkley “a flaming hypocrite” and pointing out how many commercials and endorsements Chuck and Shaq do every year. Still, the back-and-forth was more brotherly banter than bad blood.

And then came the “presidential” punchline. With Stephen A. floating the idea of a 2028 run for office, Barkley went full big-brother mode in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “Calm down, Stephen A.… knock it off,” he said, adding with zero hesitation that his vote was a “hard no.” From telling him to tone down the volume, to warning him about overexposure, to shutting down political dreams, Barkley’s critiques have one thing in common, they’re all served with that trademark Charles Barkley grin.