Stephen A. Smith says Kendrick Perkins ‘wanted to hurt somebody’ after Charles Barkley’s comments

TNT’s Charles Barkley had some choice words for ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins recently. Barkley called Perkins “an idiot and a fool” for his bold claim that the Los Angeles Lakers are currently saving the NBA.

Barkley’s insults seemingly rubbed the former Boston Celtics big man the wrong way. Perkins took to X not long after Barkley said what he said and fired back, calling Barkley a “senior citizen.”

Perkins’ colleague at ESPN Stephen A. Smith said on Friday that Perkins “wanted to hurt somebody” in light of Barkley’s comments.

“I hope Big Perk doesn’t get mad at me for saying this,” Smith said. “I had to call him yesterday and talk him off the ledge ’cause he wanted to hurt somebody ’cause he didn’t appreciate how Barkley was coming at him.

“That’s how Barkley talks. That’s how Barkley talks. Look, y’all, I’ve known Charles Barkley for over 25 years. He calls Kenny [Smith] a fool every show. He calls him and Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) idiots at least once a week. … Charles Barkley is one of the sweetest human beings you will ever find on the planet. He means no harm.”

L.A.’s success may indeed be good for the NBA, but it’s fair for folks to have differing perspectives about whether the team’s success is “saving” the league.

The Lakers have been on fire lately, and they picked up their eighth straight victory on Thursday. However, the team hasn’t been playing at this level all season. In fact, Los Angeles, now the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, spent much of this season in the middle of the pack in the playoff picture.

Even now, it’s worth noting that while the Lakers’ record of 40-21 is certainly nothing to scoff at, it’s far from the best in the NBA. Los Angeles is 10.5 games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top record in the West and 11.5 behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the league’s best record.

But L.A. is getting hot at the right time, and the team’s ceiling may be rising. The Lakers will shoot for their ninth consecutive win when they play the defending champion Boston Celtics on Saturday. The Celtics are riding a winning streak themselves, as they’ve won three in a row and all but two of their last 10 games played.

Folks can breathe a sigh of relief that Smith was able to play peacemaker in this situation. Hopefully, Barkley and Perkins can sort out their differences in a mature and professional manner in the near future.