It was a long day and a long night on campus. About 10 hours, in total, I think. I had two classes, of course. We talked about sports stories in the criticism class, of course. And in org comm we discussed branding, of course, which we’ll do for another two days, of course. When classes were over it was back to the office, where I did some work. And then we went over to one of the auditoriums for … well, you can see for yourself.
We were sitting some distance away, but in reserved VIP seats. Very Important Professors. The good seats went to our students, as it should be. Charles Barkley hasn’t played in the NBA in their lifetimes, but he’s still a hugely important sports figure locally, and nationally. Being on Inside the NBA doesn’t hurt that, nor does his huge personality.
The guy up there with him is one of of our faculty members, and an institution in local sports media. They go way back, and from time to time Barkley comes to share his wisdom and good humor. He was very generous with his time tonight. They started taking questions from two microphones on either side of the stage, this went on for a good long while, with young people nervously reading their questions from their phones for some reason. There was still no way that they were going to answer all of the questions, almost all of which is stuff Barkley probably fields a dozen times a week, but still, some of them were good, and the man has a way of making everyone feel welcome around him. As the time was drawing late, they said, we’ll just take one more, and Charles said, no no, how about we take three more questions from each side of the room, and that was another 20 or 25 minutes.
After that, there was the after-party, where you feel a bit like a hanger-on between the tables and the gladhanders and the oddly lit photo room and bar, and the more-than-reasonable food spread. Charles Barkley stood there and took pictures with everyone who wanted one. It’s not work, and he knows it, but they love him and he knows that, too. So it is work, and he’s gracious about it all. Tomorrow, he said, he has to fly to Atlanta to finally find out what his broadcast schedule will be for the upcoming season.
Anyway, I wrote some notes from his talk.
Sir Charles!
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Says Inside the NBA will be different on the new platform, “for sure.”
Talks about post-game to studio pitches.
(The new format seems like a very in progress effort to Charles Barkley.)
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Says probably 200 Inside the NBA crew made the job. Keeping jobs in TV is a huge win.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Charles is bringing a blue collar work ethic to load management-oriented players.
He has thoughts on where the games will be aired and streamed, how fans are being left to figure that out.
He’s taking an adamant pro-fan stance,and is critical of these early days on the new platform, schedule-wise.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:23 PM
We’ve spent a lot, A LOT, of time on the showering-in-my-jersey story. One of the longtime Sixers guys is here and he confirmed the story.
So that’s settled.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:39 PM
He’s taking student questions. The first is about pushing through hard times.
“You have to make sure you just keep grinding. It ain’t good all the time, but it ain’t bad all the time … it’s always going to get better.”
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:46 PM
After a Shaq story he repeats the best advice he’s received.
You can’t make everyone happy. Says you’d go crazy trying.
And then cites a lesson he learned from football coach Herm Edwards: my last name is not my name; it’s my family’s name.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Can we get a Michael Jordan story?
{long pause}
“Michael Jordan’s nuts.”
Tells a 36-holes-of-golf story during the Dream Team run. MJ says he was covering the point guard.
Says he was sticking on him like it’s Game 7, screaming at the PG.
“He is going to win at all cost, no matter what.”
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 6:55 PM
A player asks for some on-court advice.
“Rebounding. Rebounding got me to college and the NBA.”
The coach is here, and the coach approved of that answer.
“People ask me what’s important — or offense or defense? I say, ‘Probably the ball.’”
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Talking about team chemistry. Says maybe five of his teams had great chemistry, because there are many agendas.
“Getting chemistry on a team is really hard. Same thing in the studio … we have to work with each other. It’s the same way on a team.”
Quotes Pat Riley: voluntary cooperation.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Gets asked if franchise segments from the old show will be on the new version.
He doesn’t know yet. (Production meetings are forthcoming, which is a good thing considering the season is rapidly approaching.)
Said they found about the fate of the show while golfing with some of the crew.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Charles talks about teachers, which is one of his favorite subjects. And he’s now naming his grade school teachers.
It’s a pretty special thing to be remember all those years later, I’d bet.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:11 PM
He does a riff about college, opportunity, cost and how we limit some people by design. I’d honestly rather get more of that than the next question about some famous funny bit from a chat he had on Inside the NBA. Where would you rather be?
(Yes, he drags Galveston. And then picks San Antonio.)
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:17 PM
“I love sports because sports has given me every single thing I have in my life.”
He lists his bucket list, sitting on the green monster, football at Notre Dame, Michigan … tells a story about playing two days of golf at Augusta National.
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
He gets asked about players being able to speak their minds — team and league policies, etc.
Charles: “Free speech is not free … Players have to be smart … I just feel a sadness.” He goes in on political leaders.
“I believe we’ve got more good people than bad people. They’re just louder.”
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Says Kevin McHale is the best player he played against.
Fanbases: “Philly, New York and Boston, they’re different. When they talk about your mama, they mean it.”
“I think east coast fans are most intense.”
— Kenny Smith (@kennysmith.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 7:30 PM
At the after-party, surrounded by brilliant scholars and talented educators, I talked volleyball and ChatGPT with our new dean. It felt just as natural as you’d imagine.
