Charles Barkley rips J.J. Reddick, calls Laker coach ‘dead man walking’

Charles Barkley rips J.J. Reddick, calls Laker coach ‘dead man walking’ https://t.co/wSuiJzN63j

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) January 3, 2025

During Thursday’s edition of “Inside the NBA,” Barkley referenced recent comments Reddick made about national media criticizing the game and how that’s affected rankings.

Barkley pointed the finger back at Reddick. The Hall of Famer said that the media aren’t the ones with an underachieving team that’s shooting too many 3-pointers.

“He said something about, ‘We’re the reason people ain’t watching this crappy product we got.’ Yeah, us, like we’re up there jacking up 100 3’s a night,” Barkley said.

“J.J., you come for the king, you best not miss,” he continued. “I can get you brother. I got your Lakers games. You can’t hide them flaws they got. You’re just a dead man walking.”

The Lakers currently sit sixth in the Western Conference standings with a record of 19-14. However — perhaps due to the presence of LeBron James and perpetually high expectations in L.A. — Reddick has been criticized for his performance in his first season as a head coach.

Last month, Reddick called out the media for not doing a good job of “storytelling” or celebrating that game, suggesting that it drives fans away from watching.

“If I’m a casual fan and you tell me every time I turn on the television that the product sucks. Well, I’m not gonna watch the product,” Reddick said. “That’s really what has happened over the last 10-15 years. I don’t know why.”

The Lakers coach said that analysts and media shouldn’t hold back from critiquing the game. However, he argued that the only people who are celebrating it as well “have a small niche following on Twitter.”