Well, it worked for the Knicks. And now Charles Barkley believes the Sacramento Kings require similar divine intervention to find success. While practicing at the American Century Championship pro-am on Thursday, the Inside the NBA legend didn’t hold back when he colorfully explained that the struggling franchise needs much more than big roster moves to turn things around before the 2027 season.

“A miracle, the hand of God, the Pope coming to town before the Kings going to be any good. Yeah, we got to get Pope Leo in town,” Barkley joked on the driving range at Lake Tahoe. 

Now, this is important because the Kings are probably the only NBA team in California that Chuck actually roots for. His opinions about the Lakers, Clippers, and Warriors are consistently critical. But in 2024, he went viral for saying the Kings have improved because of DeMar DeRozan. But while Chuck was swinging terribly in Nevada, the Kings waived DeRozan.

That’s not even the worst of their problems. The team’s structural issues are why Barkley feels they need some wonderwork.

“The Kings are in bad shape right now, and it sucks because they have one of the best fan bases in the world. I love Sacramento fans, but they need a miracle.”

Barkley’s candid remarks highlighted the immense mountain facing the Kings, even as local fans build excitement around rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr., who was selected No. 7 overall in the NBA draft. However, Acuff just had an abysmal 6-of-20 outing at the Summer League. While the Kings beat the Clippers in the Vegas leg, it shows that the team needs to work on a lot.

Chuck showed that he kept an eye on the rookie. Though Acuff impressed scouts during his brief stint at the California Classic, Sir Charles remained entirely unconvinced about Sacramento’s immediate depth.

“He’s a good young player,” Barkley added regarding the rookie guard. “But yeah, the Kings, man, they’re not close. They’re not close. I mean, I want to see the Kings do well because, as I said, they’ve got a tremendous fan base. But you need to, God need to come in, the Pope, Jesus, Moses. Yeah, y’all need a lot of help for the Sacramento Kings to be in the good.”

Chuckster invoking Pope Leo XIV isn’t completely without merit. Just last season, New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee visited the Vatican and presented the Chicago-born pontiff with a custom No. 14 “Pope Leo” jersey. That viral interaction turned into a rallying cry for New Yorkers during their dramatic playoff run.

When the Knicks pulled off a historic 29-point comeback victory in Game 4 of the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, fans enthusiastically pointed to Lee’s signed jersey as proof of a “holy assist.” Viral videos even captured a Knicks fan getting a double thumbs-up blessing from the ‘popemobile in St. Peter’s Square, cementing beliefs that a literal papal blessing had tilted fate in the Knicks’ favor.

But the Kings are also nowhere close to having the depth that Jalen Brunson’s team had. Not to mention the irony of Sacramento firing Mike Brown only for him to join the Knicks as head coach and lead them to a championship in his first season. So Chuck’s not wrong about them needing a miracle.

Some would say Barkley needs the same intervention for his golf swing. He is currently among 90 celebrities competing at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, where Caesar’s Sports Book lists Mardy Fish (+285) and Joe Pavelski (+290) as frontrunners. Bookmakers give him one out of 7,500 chances.

Yet, his humorous commentary on divine assistance could hint at absolute wonders for another historic franchise.