Charles Barkley expressed his frustration with ESPN’s programming choices when he appeared on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me” with Dan Dakich.
Barkley was annoyed that ESPN focused heavily on the potential hiring of UConn coach Danny Hurley by the Lakers, especially given the timing before major sporting events.
Earlier, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had reported that the Lakers were considering Danny Hurley for their head coach position, a topic that dominated ESPN’s discussions throughout the day. Barkley criticized the network for dedicating significant airtime to this news on the eve of the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.
“I’m not going to lie. I love Dan Hurley. This has nothing to do with Dan Hurley and good luck with him if he goes to the Lakers. But I was so pissed,” Barkley said. “With Game 1 of the Finals and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals coming on [Saturday] — for them to spend the first hour talking about what if Danny Hurley goes to the Lakers? I was so pissed yesterday. I had to turn my TV off.”
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Barkley continued to lambaste the network for what he saw as a misallocation of focus, calling the decision-makers “the stupidest, most bone-headed people in the world.” He was baffled that with two major sports finals on the horizon, the network would prioritize speculative coaching news.
“I was like, OK, there’s nothing but speculation. But you got Game 1 of the Finals and you got Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, which I’m really pumped about because you got Florida, who lost in the finals last year, and you got a whole country of people [in Canada] and you got those games as a network, and you spent the whole time talking about what if Danny Hurley goes to the Lakers?”
Barkley’s rant highlighted his disappointment with ESPN’s editorial choices, emphasizing that such moments should focus on the significant, immediate sporting events rather than speculative off-season moves.
