TNT host Charles Barkley took yet another swipe at Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid telling Embiid he can “kiss my ass.”
Barkley and Embiid have been sniping back and forth since the TNT sports analyst slammed the player for a terrible night on the court during a recent playoff game. Barkley criticized Embiid after he said he was sick during Game 5 and the 76ers lost the game.
Embiid rejected Barkley analysis.
“Charles, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about sometimes,” Embiid said ahead of Sunday’s Game 7. “He just be saying whatever he wants to.”
But the former NBA star was not about to let that go without a response.
“When they play like crap, and we call ’em out, we don’t know what we’re talking about,” Barkley said on Sunday, according to the New York Post. “I’m easy to find. I’ve always said he’s a hell of a player. If he can stay healthy he can be one of the greatest ever — if he can stay healthy, the jury’s still out on that. But I get sick of these guys complaining.”
Barkley continued, “When I bragged about him and Ben Simmons a few years ago, they could be the future of the NBA, he didn’t call me, ‘Hey, Charles, thanks for the kind words.’ But listen, I’m going to criticize guys if they deserve it. They can kiss my ass if they don’t like it.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.