INSIDE the NBA devolved into chaos on Sunday night after Charles Barkley asked an awkward question.
Barkley’s NBA on TNT cohosts struggled to keep him from digging deeper on an inappropriate question during the playoffs.
NBA on TNTCharles Barkley was met with an awkward silence after asking a tough question[/caption] NBA on TNTShaq feared Barkley’s question would get them fired[/caption]Inside the NBA was recapping the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 121-100 win over the Miami Heat when a graphic got Barkley’s interest.
Ty Jerome had a big night for the Cavs, scoring 28 points off the bench on Sunday night.
game show acknowledged this stat by showing a graphic with Jerome listed alongside other players scoring points in their playoff debut.
Jerome’s 28 points sat in fourth place, right behind Billy Ray Bates, who scored 29 points off the bench in 1980.
Bates’ inclusion in the graphic caused Barkley to spurt out a question without thinking.
“I wonder if he’s still alive?” Barkley said.
That question was met with an awkward silence while Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith dropped their heads in disbelief.
“It’s a fair question!” Barkley followed up.
“Not on national television!” Smith replied.
“Maybe under your breath. Maybe Google it.”
Johnson also got in on ragging on Barkley for his blunt question.
“Not unless you know the answer,” he said.
“You do not need to ask a question like that.”
Shaquille O’Neal eventually chimed in to inform viewers that Bates had in fact “passed away.”
“I can’t even ask questions now,” Barkley said.
2025 NBA Playoff matchups
Western Conference:
Play-In Tournament:
No. 7 Golden State Warriors vs No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs No. 10 Dallas MavericksFirst Round:
No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs No. 8 seed No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 seed No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs No. 5 LA ClippersEastern Conference:
Play-In Tournament:
No. 7 Orlando Magic vs No. 8 Atlanta Hawks No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs No. 10 Miami HeatFirst Round:
No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs No. 8 seed No. 2 Boston Celtics vs No. 7 seed No. 3 New York Knicks vs No. 6 Detroit Pistons No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks“You’re gonna get us fired, Chuck!” Shaq replied.
While Shaq informed viewers that Bates had died, he might need to take Johnson’s advice and Google the subject.
There is no record of Bates dying anywhere on the internet.
Pages like Wikipedia still list him as alive and there are websites where he can be booked as a guest speaker.
It seems maybe Barkley wasn’t wrong to ask the question, as his TNT cohosts clearly weren’t sure about the answer in the first place.
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