During the 1989-90 NBA season, TNT launched an interesting post-game studio show called Inside the NBA, which then became the blueprint for honest sports conversation. Two-time NBA champion Kenny “The Jet” Smith joined the show as a TV analyst in 1998, but it wasn’t until Charles Barkley’s addition in 2000 that the show actually transcended to another level.

Speaking on The Pivot Podcast on May 27, Smith explained how Barkley helped the show reach new heights: “I’m going to say it, and this is not offensive, but we created what the podcast world is now. Because the way we behaved allowed people to have more freedom of speech, and that’s what I always loved about Chuck.”

He added, “We were really good before Chuck came, and Chuck just threw gasoline on the fire. And I said, ‘What Chuck has allowed people to see is a different side of me because now I get asked questions that I never got asked before.’ Because he was one of those guys in the locker room who would be like, ‘Okay, you had 20 points.’ And they talk about that, and then they go, ‘What about George Floyd?’ He was the only guy in the locker room they would ask. They wouldn’t ask other guys.”

Barkley‘s willingness to address social issues encouraged Kenny and viewers to see him differently.

This freedom extended Kenny’s own platform: he could now discuss business, politics, and culture alongside basketball. “So for me, it gave a vehicle to other things that I always wanted to do from a business standpoint, from a political standpoint. I got information and was able to speak. So I always loved that,” Smith added.

Barkley refused silence on racism, homophobia, and discrimination — a stance that defined his TNT tenure.

Charles Barkley is not afraid of addressing social issues

Barkley has often spoken on major social issues like discrimination, inequality, and prejudice with the same honesty he brings to sports conversations. In the latest conversation with SI Media, the 63-year-old spoke out.

“The one thing I’m always gonna do, Jimmy, there’s not gonna be any type of racism or homophobic BS on my watch. I’m going to call it out anytime I see it,” Barkley told Jimmy Traina. “If I see any antisemitism, if I see any racism against black people, any Hispanic hate, I’m going to call it out because you can’t be selective. I’m against all forms of discrimination. I’m not going to have any of that BS on my watch with my platform. Uh, that’s not going to happen. Period.”

So, Barkley changed the heartbeat of Inside the NBA forever while keeping his voice loud for social causes. According to Smith, Chuck pushed the show beyond basketball and turned honest conversation into its identity. As a result, the crew became more than analysts sitting at a desk. They became voices people trusted on culture, politics, and social issues.