Besides being one of the greatest rebounders and power forwards of all time, Charles Barkley has become infamous in NBA circles for his constant criticism and hot takes. He's not too careful with words and doesn't seem to care what people think.
But even though most younger players may think like Chuck is just a hater, he's never hesitated to give a player his flowers, either. However, that rarely makes the rounds as it's not controversial.
That was the case when Barkley claimed Klay Thompson was never going to be the same player again. He stated that he loved his game, but it was time to assume that his downfall was officially underway. Needless to say, Klay didn't care for those comments.
NBA News: Klay Thompson Fires Back At Charles Barkley
"It hurts when someone like Charles Barkley, with the platform he has, says you're not the same player as prior to the injuries you had. It's like, no duh, man. I tore my ACL and my Achilles in consecutive years and still helped a team win a championship. I mean, that hurt hearing that. Because it's like, man, I put in so much freaking effort to get back to this point. Like, it's hard to even put into words what I had to do to be the player I am today," Klay said.
Barkley Lauds 'Overreacting' Thompson
That's why Chuck had to clear the air on his comments about Thompson. Notably, he didn't back down and doubled down on his take, although he reaffirmed how much of a fan of his game he is:
"Klay's still a heck of a player," Chuck said, per Bleacher Report. "But he's never gonna be that best two guard that he was because of age, Achilles, and ACL. I was very disappointed that he overreacted, because he 100% overreacted. Because I said he's still a good player."
Being able to handle criticism is a big part of being a professional athlete. Perhaps it's just that players are sick and tired of always listening to Barkley going at them, regardless of how hard they work.
