Inside the NBA has become iconic over the decades for its familiarity, with the humor and chemistry among the four co-hosts as its main draw. So when Charles Barkley, one of the faces of the program, was missing tonight, viewers were surprised. There was no dramatic announcement or lengthy explanation for his absence, but his co-hosts didn’t miss the opportunity to poke fun at it.

“How can you complain about not being on television enough and then take a day off when we’re on television?” Kenny Smith joked as Ernie Johnson pointed out that it had been just two weeks since his comments. Smith continued, “Two weeks! We don’t work enough. We’re not on TV enough. They’re not seeing us enough.”

The rest of the desk, including Sacramento Kings legend Chris Webber, who replaced Barkley tonight, joined in laughing. Shaquille O’Neal got in a jab of his own, saying that he had “footage of Chuck partying,” before the desk moved onto other topics, but the sentiment from Smith isn’t just jokes.

Just a few weeks ago, Barkley expressed dissatisfaction with the early-season schedule for Inside, which included just five appearances over the first three months of the season: thrice during opening week, once in mid-November, and once for Christmas, before picking up around the end of January for up to three times a week.

Despite his criticism, he did make it clear that he had no problem with the staff at ESPN, who are broadcasting Inside after TNT lost the NBA broadcasting rights following the most recent deal with NBC, Prime, and ESPN.

“I wish that we had have been on more during the first half of the season, but I just checked the schedule, I think we’re on Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday,” Barkley said back then. “So, they’re going to start making up some of the days, but I wish in December. We only worked one day in December.”

Barkley was in Las Vegas at the time, because he’s one of the names assigned to cover the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks tomorrow.

Why Barkley’s ESPN Frustration Was About Visibility, Not Workload

Charles Barkley‘s comments back then, made on the Dan Le Batard Show, clearly indicated that his gripes weren’t about workload, but presence. He was open about the fact that he genuinely enjoys watching basketball, which is why he didn’t appreciate the lack of Inside earlier this season.

However, he also made it clear that he’s not looking for too much time on the air. Barkley joked that he’s “not going to be on ESPN 1, 2, 3, Deportes, Nacho Echo – whatever they call it.”

That frustration lines up with fan sentiment. From the moment Inside‘s schedule was announced before the season, many voiced disappointment over how sporadically they were utilized, but this can easily be attributed to their move to ESPN. At TNT, they were key figures, but here, they’re just a part of the wider coverage that the network provides.

It’s hard to blame ESPN for that, especially when the network is the only reason that the iconic crew is still on air, and that trade-off was always going to be a part of bringing them back. For now, all Barkley can do is watch his co-workers make jokes at his expense.